Alone Again
by F.A.Jackson
Summary: It's been 350 years since Jack left Rapunzel. Who is trying to stop him on his journey to find her? Is she even alive? And just how much will he have to give up to be reunited with her? Squeal to Believe in Me. Rated M for one scene in the very last chapter. If you don't like strange sexual tension don't read that chapter.
1. Happily Ever After

**A/N: This story is very different from the prequel Once you start reading it, there's no going back. If you don't want to enter a maze of craziness, I suggest you take the ending in Believe in Me and walk out now. **

_No! _

_Jack…Please!_

_Don't leave me! Please don't leave me!_

_Jack…..Please…Wake up….._

_Jack?_

"Huh…? Wuh? What…?" Jack opened my eyes, flailing his arms around him, knocking a woman to the side. It took him a minute to realize what he hit. "Oh god, you scared me Tooth."

She giggled and straightened out her uniform before giving some orders to Baby Tooth and the other mini fairies. "Sorry."

He grabbed Baby Tooth and started tickling her, just because it was funny. "So what's up? You normally don't leave the palace."

"Oh! Umm… I was wondering…You know…If you were going to North's reunion later. He said he's made a lot of cookies."

"Yeah, I will. It's tonight right?" Jack pulled a small globe out of his pocket; on it were thousands of bright lights. He was trying to get a feel for the air currents and see where they were taking him that day. A common occurrence ever since Jack became a Guardian. They were going South. "I'll probably grab Bunny and we'll take the tunnels. You know how he feels about air travel." He called up a gust, to make his point.

Toothiana laughed again. "Alright, seen you then." One of her fairies blew him a kiss, and they flew off.

He had forgotten all about the reunion. It was something that North had thrown together. Ever since the ceremony in which Jack became a Guardian, North decided that every decade, after Easter, they would gather together just to celebrate. Tooth was always the most nervous about them, but it was fun. Time had flown by. This was their 5th reunion.

"Let's go." The wind blew him south, just as he predicted. His instinct told him that it wasn't a good idea to just freeze everything he past, but cities in Canada got hit pretty hard. Mother Nature had probably decided to swing by earlier too. Jack started a couple snowball fights, ruined some guy's office documents, messed around with some kids, froze a couple ponds, and that was work for the day. Life was fun. They saw him now, whenever he wasn't being careful, but that was okay. Kids forgot easily.

As soon as night fell, Jack followed the gold dust, and found Sandy on his island. "You ready to go?"

He nodded, and got his jet out. They flew together, led by the wind. "Have you seen Bunny?"

He shook his head, shaking the dream sand everywhere. "I'm sure we'll find him at Pole." Jack continued.

When they reached the edge of the artic, there were thick piles of snow everywhere and they could hear Bunny screaming . He did that a lot. "Can't feel my feet! Can't feel my feet!"

"What's wrong? Can't handle a little cold?" Jack called.

"Stuff a sock in it, Frost."

"Oh c'mon, have a little fun."

"Not all of us get to mess around all day."

"Yeah, yeah…" They argued like that a lot, but it was just a joke. When it came down to it, there was only one day a year where their fights actually meant war: Easter.

The three of them arrived just as Phil was setting up the blockades. He glared at Jack, as usual, but he couldn't toss him out like he used to.

"Ahh! You're all here!" It looked like North already had too much eggnog to drink. "Here, cookie? Eggnog? Anyone?"

They moved around the yetis, grabbing some food and drink. Jack found Tooth talking to her fairies around the bar. "Is that a molar? Chicago, sector 4? Can we concentrate on the European unit right now, it's already dark."

Jack slapped a hand on her shoulder and she jumped 2 inches into the hair, "Calm down, Tooth. North only calls us all together once a decade. I'm sure your fairies can handle it for one night."

"Heh. Not all of us just work during the day." She responded, but she stopped commanding the mini fairies around her. "How long has it been since that fight with Pitch?

He shook his head. "50 years? That was a long time ago. He just disappeared, but I'm sure he's feeling pretty crappy right now."

"It's not your fault." Tooth had said that almost every time this conversation came up.

"It is, kind of. I know how it feels to be alone. To have no one see you." Something flashed in his mind, that first day he met Pitch.

"Jack, you're a Guardian now. It means that as long as just one child believes in you, you'll never be alone."

He knew she was right of course. Jamie had taught him that. How old was Jamie now? He had children of his own, and his children had children. Jack was about to respond but North came up behind them. "Hey! What are you doing over here? The pudding is over there!"

The reunion went on and on. North and Bunny argued over which holiday was better, as usual. Jack and Sandy talked a bit. The man was a great charades player. There were toys flying through the air and small explosions every which way. There were plenty of drinks and snacks handed out but Jack didn't trust them. The elves were kind of shady. Finally, Tooth couldn't handle it anymore and said she had to return to the palace and make sure her fairies were okay. That was her thing.

Jack said his goodbyes to everyone, "See you in a month, Rabbit."

"Stay away from my egg hunts!" Bunnymund screamed as he disappeared down his tunnels. Sandy did a salute where he tipped his fake hat and flew off.

The wind took him home, to Burgess. This was the city he had landed in when he first became an immortal. Life was horrible back then. People walked right through him. Everyone, except for one.

He reached into his pocket and took out a candle. It was frozen solid.

He had loved a girl a very long time ago. She was the first person to ever see him. For a beautiful eight months, she was the only person to be able to see him, and he would never forget her because of it. It's been centuries. She was probably long gone, but Jack held on to the small hope that maybe, just maybe, she was still around.

Jack walked through the streets. It was mostly empty, except for a few couples walking around. It was probably because Valentine's Day had passed pretty recently. He had gone out with Tooth that day, not like a date of course. He had helped her collect some teeth.

Jack walked through some trees and thought of Rapunzel's forest, it was all gone now. That was when he saw her, a girl. She was wearing a purple coat and sitting on a bench beneath some trees. It was at the edge of the street beneath a lamp and a bus stop. She had long blonde hair.

"Rapunzel?"

She turned around to look at him, and her eyes caught the light.

**A/N: Because I'm writing two other stories I'll be a slow updater. I'll just update whichever one the people want. **


	2. Stuck

**A/N: This is actually going to be a trilogy, based on three videos by Hannah, but you can stop on this one, and it would be okay. Reading all the way through will be both depressing and stressful. **

Her eyes were blue, and Jack sighed. It wasn't her. There was a very special quality in Rapunzel's eyes. A shade of green just like grass on a spring day. They were the prettiest shade, like emeralds.

The girl smiled at him, "How sweet. Do I look like a princess?"

"Heh. Sorry but you're not my type of princess, and her hair is brown."

The girl didn't seem to find any insulting tone in his words, "Slow down there champ. Let's say we get out of the cold and find somewhere warm to sit down and warm ourselves up."

Jack couldn't tell if she was bad at flirting or just plain blind. "The cold doesn't bother me. If you didn't notice, I'm not even wearing a jacket," He turned and slid away quickly and before she was knew it, he had completely disappeared.

Unbeknownst to him, a pair of green eyes was watching him as he talked to the girl across the street. Her lips trembled at the sight of him and her eyes were fixated on his retreating figure. She felt a tear slide down her check but when reached up to wipe it away, her face was completely dry.

* * *

When Jack woke up the next morning, he felt something fluffy on his mouth. He touched it cautiously to find that it was just Baby Tooth. "Hey!" She tugged on his sleeve, trying to pull him up, "What are you doing here?"

She pulled on his arm some more and he couldn't help but follow her. It was in his blood that he couldn't say no to her. She reminded him of a little sister while Toothiana made him think of an older sister. They were all his family.

"Hehe, slow down. Where we going?" She didn't answer and just kept pulling. Then she started pointing East. He had things to do but there wasn't any harm in taking a day off was there?

At last, they arrived in the middle of a jungle. Toothiana was sitting on some of the treetops. She seemed to be lost in thought. She wasn't crying, but Jack wasn't sure she was capable.

"Hey…Are you okay?"

She looked up at him, shocked at his presence. "Oh yes…Yes, of course…I'm just thinking about something." In her hands were one of the teeth boxes she had in her castle. Her face was on the top.

"Your teeth? Even the tooth fairies lose teeth, huh?" He was just joking, but she smiled and nodded.

"I was human a long time ago. When I turned 13 and lost my last baby teeth, I grew wings. My friends all loved them and my parents were so proud of me. They collected my teeth for me and told me the secret of the memories inside them. Apparently that was how my mother and father met, using the teeth as a way to fly. They told me that whenever I was unhappy, I could use my teeth to show me what was really important. They hold the happiest memories of my life. They will never be forgotten no matter how much times passes."

Jack smiled. "It's thanks to you and Baby Tooth that I got my memories back too. I still owe you for that. You really helped me out. If it weren't for you guys, I would've never known what the whole point of being a Guardian was. Without you guys, I'd just be bumbling around depressed and alone."

Tooth's eyes widened with shock, but then she smiled. "I could never bear to see you unhappy. Even when we thought Pitch was going to win, I was happy just to see you. I was just happy that all of us could be together at the end."

The two friends swung their legs as they talked amongst the trees. This place was very special for Toothiana. Jack knew that. She had told him long ago of how her parents had died here. She had told him that she was left alone at the palace, when all the Sisters of Flight had been turned to stone. They all died with her mother.

"You're a really optimistic person Tooth. Even though all these bad things happened to you, you never gave up. You kept going. Your positive attitude really helps everyone out. I think we would just fall apart and argue without you and Sandy around."

Toothiana laughed. "You've helped me too. When Pitch stole my fairies and my teeth, you helped me get them back. You saved Baby Tooth. You helped me collect the new teeth. You gave me hope, which is Bunny's territory. He'd probably be angry to hear me say that. "

"Heh…Knowing him? Yeah…That war really brought everyone together. I guess I owe Pitch in a way. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't have made friends, I wouldn't have become a Guardian, and I wouldn't have known how much Rapunzel meant to me."

The smile slid from Tooth's face. "What do you mean? What did Pitch do?"

Jack hadn't meant to let that last part slip. He has never told anyone about that deal with Pitch. He racked his mind for a lie, "I met him before meeting you guys… during the Dark Ages. He uh kind of ate me up like everyone else. I was released after you beat him.

Tooth nodded, accepting his lie easily. They sat in a silence that grew awkward until Tooth spoke again, "Have you ever thought about just letting Rapunzel go? It's been 400 years almost. Isn't it time to move on? There are people who care about you." She looked away from him and mumbled, "Other girls who have feelings for you and are better-suited for you."

Jack looked away from her as well and stared into the distance. He didn't need teeth to be able to think about the most important events in his life. Besides his time with his family, all his happiest moments occurred after he became immortal. When Jamie could finally see him, when the gang all accepted him and he took the oath to be a guardian, and the most important memory of all was at the base of the tower. The very first time he touched her, he had given her Pascal, and they hugged.

He had held onto that memory for a very long time. If he had died in that moment, it wouldn't have mattered. It was in that moment that he felt warmth for the very first time, what it was like to hug someone, someone he loved. Jack had thought about it endlessly for the past 353 years. Even after all this time, he still loved her.

Jack hadn't realized that he'd closed his eyes and was simply seeing a memory. He opened them now and turned back to Tooth, "Do you know what it's like to be in love?"

She nodded. "Yeah, I do. It's really complicated though. He doesn't have feelings for me. I've known for a long time that someone else already occupies that spot in his heart. They're not even together so I don't really understand why he won't give me a shot."

Jack nodded. He remembers that man in blue as well, "I might understand how you feel. Sometimes, when I think about Rapunzel, I wonder if she found someone else. Like if she might've fallen in love with this one guy and maybe that was why she never came to look for me. When I left her, I hurt her pretty badly."

"And if she did…?"

Jack chuckled but it was sad. "I thought about that too. I wouldn't give up. She means a lot to me, more than anything else in the world. The only reason I tried so hard to get other people to see me was because I wanted her to be able to. I promised her that I'd go back to her once she could see me.

"If you cared about her so much why didn't you just stay with her? You watched and played with the children even though they couldn't see you." Toothiana's voice held just the slightest drop of bitterness but it didn't register to Jack.

Any hint of laughter left his face now. "I did…I watched her for a while, to see how she'd do without me. Whenever she was alone, she'd just look for me. She cried all the time because she knew she could see me if she did. She knew I was still there. She wouldn't eat and she wouldn't leave the castle either. She waited every day for it to snow. For her, snow was a symbol that I was still around."

Jack paused in his story. His hands were clenched into fists. He was infuriated, just by the memory. "It doesn't snow there, but when I'm around, there's frost at night. She saw it, and she knew I was still around. After a few months, she gave up on waiting. She packed up her bags and threw herself off her tower. She didn't die, somehow, but her parents found her passed out in front of the castle. I couldn't take it anymore. Seeing her do stuff like that just so she could see me? Only a girl as stupid as her would do it…"

Toothiana sighed. "There's nothing I can do to change your mind about her?" Jack shook his head and she got up. "I've got to head back to the palace. Take care of yourself, Jack. You can't just worry about Rapunzel anymore."

Jack watched her fly off with a nagging feeling in his chest. He felt like there was some unfinished business here, but there was nothing left he could do.


	3. Corona

The next day, the wind took Jack back to Burgess. There was already a lot of snow, but the wind wouldn't take him there if it wasn't supposed to get colder. He dragged his staff on the roads behind him. Cars slowed down all around, trying to stay clear of the ice everywhere. People couldn't see him when he didn't want them too. It was an ability that he had gotten once he became a Guardian, kind of like Tooth's ability to fly, and Bunny's height.

After an afternoon of not-so-hard work, he sat on the roof of a grocer to admire his work. "God,that was fun." A crash sounded behind him, but no screams: A good sign. He swore and hopped down from the roof of the grocer to check the damage, which was slightly worse than he had originally thought.

"Is she okay?"

"I don't see any injuries."

"God, she was lucky."

There was a girl wearing a knit cap in the middle of several cars. She seemed to be wearing a dress, stockings and snow boots. "I'm fine, it barely touched me. No scratch or bruises."

That voice was familiar, but new at the same time. He couldn't quite put a finger on it.

"You fell through my windshield! And there's blood all over your dress!"The girl's fluffy pink coat was ripped, and the man was right. She was covered in blood, but she kept her head down and pushed her way out of the crowd.

"Hey! Wait! Wait!" She pushed past Jack as she crossed the street. Her hair was long but it was pulled up in a ponytail. She kept her head down, and strands of loose hair covered her face. Something about her didn't seem right. The two cars in the accident were totaled, and both men were obviously injured. One of them had been knocked unconscious and the other was bleeding from the head. She looked perfectly fine however.

Jack followed her as she unlocked the door to a shop. There was an assortment of random things on display, from paintings to glass flowers, dolls to puzzle games, and then hanging from the top of the display windows, were paper lanterns.

Jack read the sign. Apparently it was open from 2 PM to 3 AM at night every day of the week. What kind of place had those kinds of hours? What appeared to be a wooden sign was hanging from an iron pole with the word Corona written on it. Jack had "lived" in Burgess for most of his life. How had he never seen this shop before?

Jack opened the door, and a little bell signaled the keeper of his entry. The inside of the shop wasn't very big. There was a counter in the middle of the right hand side of the shop. An easel was sitting behind it. Guitars, paintings, and a board advertising baked goods stood on the wall. The counter held a lot of ice sculptures. Dolls were sitting on a table. Not a single one of them looked the same. In fact, not a single thing in this shop looked the same.

A large amount of decorative shelves and display cases filled the room. There were small ceramic things in some of them, jewelry in others. At the back of the shop were several cases full of books, tapes, several chess sets, and a few dainty tea tables. It was the only part of the store that seemed clean and not cluttered. Everything in the store shined, but that was the only place that seemed like there was room to move.

The entire room was illuminated by candles that hung from the lanterns and chandeliers strapped to hooks on the celling. Not a sprinkler or fire alarm seemed to be in sight.

Jack looked around but saw no sight of the girl. "Hello? Is someone here?"

A voice came from a small alcove behind the counter. "A customer? Already? I could've sworn the door was still locked."

That voice, he knew that voice. It couldn't be…Not here. It couldn't be possible.

The bell rang again, and a man walked in. This man, Jack recognized. It was Jamie's son. His wife had given birth not that long ago. He turned to Jack and nodded his head but showed no recognition of who he was. "Good afternoon Amy! Standard order. You know how the guys down at the office love your baking."

"Give me a minute! I was held up on the way here so they're not done yet!" After the oven dinged she walked out, carrying a large pie in each hand. "Boxed or bagged, James?"

"Boxed. I want to keep them warm and it's freezing outside."

She laughed. "Oh yeah! There's ice everywhere." She turned to look Jack, "Looks like Jack Frost decided to pay us a visit."

"Jack Frost huh? My dad told me a lot of stories about him. In fact…" James now turned to look at him as well, his eyes quizzical, "You look just like him."

The girl narrowed her eyebrows, "You better head out. The office is far from here."

He laughed heartily. "Right. See you tomorrow!"

"Rapunzel," he whispered.

He was sure of it. She looked exactly the same, except her hair was tied up and she was wearing modern clothes. She had ditched her purple dress for an apron over a button-up. Besides the clothes, there was absolutely nothing different about her from the day he left her. It looked like she hadn't aged a day in her life.

"Rapunzel," he said again. Her eyes grew hard at the name.

"Don't call me that."

Jack stood stunned. She even had the same freckles in the exact same spots. There was no way he could be wrong. Her face was pale, but it wasn't because the color was drained. Rapunzel had always been unnaturally pale, but this was something else altogether. She almost seemed like an angry ghost to him. "That name means a lot to some people. For some people, it means limitless amounts of money. For others, it means eternal life. That's not my name."

Jack tried to walk over to her, but there was a counter between them. After all this time, it seemed ridiculous to him that a counter was the one thing stopping him from reaching her. "You're Rapunzel."

She grabbed a frying pan from the oven and moved from behind the corner. "Get out of my shop. I don't want to see you in here again."

Jack held up his hands in self-defense, forgetting he was still holding his staff. "Wait! Wait!" The crook of his staff hit the pan, freezing it. The girl dropped it on the floor before the ice could reach her. Her eyes grew wide at the event. Even though she was now out of weapons, she was still attempting to kick him out. "Get. Out."

Jack threw the staff to the side and wrapped his arms around her to hold her at bay. It was both a relief to finally do so and ridiculous that he was treating her like a crazy person,"Wait! Rapunzel! Just list—"

"STOP CALLING ME THAT!"

"Fine, fine. what do you want me to call you?" She was still struggling to toss him out. "That ice sculpture I made you. Where is it? It's not on display."

She finally stopped struggling but she continued to glare at him. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't lie. You were never a really good liar."

She pushed against his arms breaking his hold and turned to look at him in directly in the eyes. "I'm Amy Weatherspoon, I'm 57 years old, and I own a talking pink elephant." Her words were natural, like she actually believed them. "Am I a good liar now?" She didn't really wait for him to respond before moving behind her counter. "This is a shop not a brothel. If you're not going to buy anything, just leave."

"I'll uh…be right back." He grabbed his staff and walked out of the shop.

He hesitated before flying away. He was sure this girl was Rapunzel, but it didn't seem like her at all. She had never been the angry violent type. And when had she acquired an affinity for using a frying pan as a weapon?

Jack flew to Toothiana. She always had a large supply of money. He didn't know how she did it but she would send Baby Tooth to ask Jack to visit the Laundromat at night and get her quarters every so often. She was at the palace, busy as usual.

"Tooth!" He called. Baby Tooth flew up to meet him, but he could only spare her a second's glance. There was no time to waste.

"What is it Jack?" She was floating around as she answered him. "Canines, Paris. Sector 7. It's a new tooth! That's so exciting! He didn't floss! Only a nickel this time. I wonder how he lost this one…"

"Tooth, I need some money."

She froze. "What? You need money? Why?"

"I was in Burgess. There was this girl…" Jack couldn't finish his sentence, he didn't really know how.

Baby Tooth and Toothiana shared a brief glance. It was filled with something he couldn't quite understand. "Girls, take Jack to get what he needs."

He followed some of the mini fairies to the mural of the fairies. In front of it was a lake. The fairies dived into it and pulled out a bag of money. They handed it to Jack and flew off. Not even saying goodbye, which was strange.

But Jack didn't have time to contemplate their strange behavior, he had to hurry back to the shop.


	4. Love and Hate

**A/N: I actually wrote this while I was sick, so sorry if the quality is a bit crappy. **

* * *

Things weren't like they used to be. Despite his desire to fly back to Rapunzel's shop as soon as he wished, he had duties as a Guardian to fulfill. He had to stop by Italy before he could make it back to Burgess. Jack couldn't always control the winds. When they wanted to disobey him, he couldn't go anywhere.

In Italy, things were fun. He spent a lot of time playing with the children but his mind and his heart were somewhere else. By the time Jack returned to the Corona, it was already one in the morning. Unexpectedly, it was packed with people.

Surprisingly, it was mostly men who filled the small space in her shop. They crowded around her desk, and ordered more baked goods than any man could possibly digest. There were children cluttering around her dolls, begging their parents to buy them two of more. Some of her stranger customers were crowded around the back, playing with her guitars and her admiring her artwork. Above it all, stood a painting.

He hadn't seen it before because he was looking for her, but he saw it now. It showed the two of them above the lake on the night of her birthday. Every stroke had been perfect. Jack's face was clearly shown, and not a single hair was out of place. How long had it taken her to paint this mural? He tore his eyes from the painting and pushed his way to the front of the lines.

"Hey! Watch where you're going!"

"Stop pushing!"

"I was here first!"

"I'm her most loyal customer!"

"Well I'm a stock-holder!"

"I'm placing the biggest order!"

Rapunzel didn't do anything about the ruckus in front of her cash register. Perhaps this was normal for her. He tried his best to avoid knocking his staff into people. One flick and he could freeze the entire room.

"Can we talk?" He shouted. She gestured to the crowd in front of her. "How much for the painting above the bookcases?"

Rapunzel froze. It didn't seem possible that she would be able to hear him above all the noise, but she glared directly at him. It made the group of men surrounding Jack freeze mid-sentence. "We'll talk once the shop closes. Wait with Seraphina until then. She's drinking tea at the back of the shop."

Jack wandered to the back where a woman in an intricate, large, green gown was drinking tea. He couldn't help but think about the Old English. She was pretty and young, but she had this air that made her feel ancient. "Are you Seraphina?"

The woman nodded, and swept her long sleeves in front of her. Jack took this to mean that he should sit. "So uh…How do you know Amy?"

She took a sip of her tea before answering, "That is a ridiculous question. I know everyone. It is our duty to do so."

"What do you mean?"

"You taught the Guardians that there is more to helping the children than their specific duties. They have to know the children that they were guarding. How can you ask such a ridiculous question?"

Jack's mouth was open slightly. He didn't remember when he had opened it. How could she have known those things? "Who are you?"

Seraphina shook her head. "You're asking all the wrong questions Jack." She sipped her tea and showed no indication that she was going to say anything more.

"How do you know my name?"

The woman acted as if she had not heard him. Jack did not like her. She did not appear like she was going to hurt him, but there was obviously more to her than what met the eye. "Tell me, do you know who that girl is?" Jack nodded, not sure where she was going with that question. "Do you know the story of Rapunzel?" Jack nodded again, it was impossible for him not to.

"A long time ago, she escaped from an evil witch. She became the princess of the Land of the Sun. She brought misfortune to the land. In a place where they had never seen darkness, their princess brought destruction and trouble in her wake." The woman stopped for a moment, her eyes watching Rapunzel at the front desk.

Jack had never heard this story before. This had not happened when he was with her. "What do you mean?"

"It's said she tried to kill herself by jumping out of her room. She didn't die. News travelled of the princess that never aged and couldn't die. Thieves, nobles, and murderers from far and wide came for her. The kingdom fell trying to protect their mysterious princess. Her castle was set aflame from the inside. Her parents died in the fire. Wars were fought for this cursed princess. Hitler gassed millions of people looking for this girl. And now, I believe I've finally found her."

There was a hunger in this woman's eyes. It was unmistakable, and it was dangerous. Jack sensed it. Rapunzel was in danger here, "You can't be serious. You can't really believe the story of a golden-haired princess really exists. And this girl's hair is brown."

The woman smiled. "How did you know she was the one I was thinking about?" Jack swore in his head and turned away. He should have seen that coming. "You thought you could trick me? How foolish. You can't beat me. I gave birth to you."

His head whipped back around to look at her, but she was already gone. She wasn't anywhere else in the shop either. It was still crowded, and there were plenty of people around so Rapunzel was still busy. Jack flew out into the street but he still could not find the mysterious woman. He walked back into the shop and sat down at her seat.

He waited out the hour for her Rapunzel's shop to close but it felt like an eternity. Each second seemed to drag, so he contended with admiring the things in her shop. Now that he looked closely around place, he saw things that he recognized from when they were together.

The ice sculptures on display were the ones he made her. He saw their chess set next to some other ones made of wood and plastic. A Not For Sale was in front of both. ""So you actually waited for me."

"I've waited for you a long time. I don't mind the extra hour." He answered, smiling at her. "And I was just admiring the things in the shop. I see you never threw away any of the things I gave you."

Her face remained a blank canvas. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Jack sighed. He was sick of this game. "You know exactly what I'm talking about. The sculptures in that case were the ones I made for your room. The chess set got you into trouble with Gothel. The clothes on those dolls were the ones you made for Pascal. He hated them but he never said anything." Jack reached into his pocket and pulled out the frozen candle. "The candles that light the lanterns on the ceiling are the ones you made. You even gave some to me the first day we met. You remember. I know you."

Rapunzel stared at the candle. Her face betrayed no emotion. Jack wondered how long it had taken her to master that ability. Rapunzel used to be such an emotional person. Finally, when he had almost given up hope of her speaking, "You never used it."

"Because it's the only thing that I still have that you gave me." Jack saw her in a different light now. What had happened to her over the years? "Rapunzel…"

Her eyes wouldn't meet his. They'd meet everything but his eyes, "I called for you. Every night, I know you heard me. But you never came."

So you admit it."

"Admit what?"

"That you wanted me to come back." He grinned, happy that he could get that out of his system.

She didn't seem happy at all however. Her face continued to show her displeasure, "Yes, I did. A long time ago. That stopped after I realized waiting for you was stupid. And now you... Why did you have to appear now? I was finally starting to forget you."

"I don't want you to forget me. I promised that I'd come back for you someday. Why didn't you believe in me? The Land of the Sun-"

"The kingdom crumbled a long time ago. A lot has changed Jack. I kept my promise. I lived my life. I saw the world for what it was and I was a bad princess. I let my people down. The Rapunzel you knew is dead. She's been dead a long time." Her eyes were like steel, empty and cold. She was right, there wasn't any sign that the old Rapunzel still existed.

"I realized after a few years you were never coming back. Waiting for you was pointless." She pulled a ring from her pocket, "I got married. His name is Flynn. He ended up burning my castle to the ground just to steal the chamber jewels. How's that for a worthless princess?

Jack didn't know what to say. She was right of course. There was nothing he really could say, but he wanted to know. He had to know. "Do you…Do you still lo-"

She held up her hand to stop him from continuing. She reached into her apron and pulled out an ice sculpture. It was the lantern that he had given her the night he left. "You told me that if I ever lost faith in you, then I should look at it, and remember that you still love me and would come back to me. I kept it by my side all these years to remember that you broke your first promise, the only one that mattered. You lied to me."

Her hand seemed to turn in slow motion as the sculpture slid to the floor where it shattered into a thousand tiny sparkling pieces. "I don't love you anymore."


	5. Confessions and Confusion

Jack didn't go back to the shop the next day, or the day after, or for weeks on end. He did his duties as a Guardian, following the wind wherever she took him. He could not go back to see Rapunzel. She didn't want to see him. It wasn't a spur-of-the moment decision. She had had centuries to think about it, and in the end she didn't want him anymore.

On a spontaneous decision, he flew to Toothiana's Palace. What he wanted now more than anything else was advice. The path in front of him seemed to be empty. He had spent a long time looking for Rapunzel and imagining a future with her by his side. Now that she had denied him this future, he was completely confused.

When he found her, she was commanding her fairies, as usual. Tooth never stopped. It was almost like she never slept. 4 of her mini fairies surrounded her as well, including Baby Tooth, who had grown much larger in size.

"Tooth…Can we talk?" She paused for a second and her fairies shooed her away.

"Uh…sure…What is it Jack?" She seemed to be at a loss for words.

"There's this woman…I met her in Burgess…She—"

"Is she that girl you were looking for? Rapunzel, I think."

Jack hesitated. He had not come to her about Rapunzel. He had actually spent a lot of time trying not to think about her, but at her name, hundreds of memories flashed in his mind. "No, not her. This woman is named Seraphina. She had these eyes that would shift col—"

Tooth froze in her tracks. A small gasp escaped her lips, "No! What is she doing! Did she say anything to you?!"

Jack's eyes went wide with surprise. "You know her?! Who is she?!"

Tooth frowned but didn't respond. She looked like she was ready to fly away and Jack grabbed her shoulders. "You have to tell me. Why does she know everything about me?! Who is she?!...What is she...?"

"She's…Her full name is Seraphina Pitchiner and she's Pitch's daughter but everyone knows her as Mother Nature. She's not part of the Guardians but she doesn't seem to be working with her father either. That's all I know."

"Pitch…had a daughter…?"

Tooth nodded, afraid where this question might lead. "Why…?"

Jack thought back to his encounters with Pitch. "He had mentioned that he always longed for a family. Why did he never go back to her?"

Tooth shook her head. "I don't know. She got her powers but she never took the oath. The oath is the reason we lose our powers if the children stop believing. The oath makes us stronger but it's also our weakness. Mother Nature is different. She's someone even older than us, possibly even older than the Man in The Moon. There is very little anyone knows about her. She doesn't show herself often. We were normal beings before we were chosen by the Man in the Moon. She wasn't human, she isn't even from Earth. You…You were never supposed to meet her…"

None of the fairies dared to move. Jack sat in silence for a moment. She had blurted out that last statement without meaning to. He knew that but he didn't call her out on it.

When he did speak again he had completely changed the subject, "Are you going out to the fields tonight?" He was referring to the fact that ever since the fight with Pitch, all three talkative Guardians had left their hideouts more. Every so often, they would go into the city or country to do their duties instead of sending their helpers to do it.

Tooth looked shocked but nodded. "Why do you ask?"

"Mind if I come with you?"

Tooth smiled with ecstasy. "No! Of course not. I'd love if you came with me."

They flew out together with the other fairies, collecting teeth, talking, and just messing around. At the end of the night, there were millions of more teeth gathered in Tooth's palace. As they were flying over China, Tooth brought up a strange question, "It's been a long time…Has it ever occurred to you that she's gone now and you're just chasing an impossible dream? She was a human, and we're immortal. Even if she could've still been able to see you, would it matter? Sooner or later she would get old and die."

"I've…" Jack weighed her words heavily. Tooth didn't know everything he knew. Rapunzel couldn't die. That was the reason she didn't die when she jumped off the tower, or grow any older. Magic flowed in her veins. "What happens to someone's teeth when they die?"

Tooth backed away a little with surprise, "The case holding the teeth melts, and burns the teeth with it."

Jack wanted to see what had happened to her after his disappearance. She was still human. Her memories should've stayed within them, "Where are Rapunzel's teeth?!"

"I…I'm not sure. She was one of the last people who I collected. I actually remember that day, when she was 13 years old. I had still been doing field work back then." Tooth could only see happiness in Jack's eyes. She looked downward, afraid to meet the joy in them. "We… can go back to the palace and check."

They flew back to the palace. It didn't take very long since it was in East Asia anyway. The fairies were still hard at work, guarding the memories, collecting the teeth, and making the gifts to be left behind. In one of the holding towers were thousands of tubes. There were people's faces on all of them except one. One of the tubes was missing.

"That one's Rapunzel's. We must've lost it when we fought Pitch. Since no one checks this window, we must've never noticed."

"What does this mean?!" Jack didn't realize he was yelling but it frightened Toothiana.

"I don't know…This has never happened before. When the case melts, there's a new one in its place. You see this one? Without the picture? When someone loses their first tooth, this will probably be their case.

"Then I have to get them back! Tooth, will you help me?" Tooth nodded at his conclusion.

She looked to the palace, and there was desperation on her face. "I'm sorry, but there's work for me to do. She flew away from Jack, but she turned back to glance at him. There was something in her eyes that he couldn't quite decipher, something he couldn't quite understand. He wanted to reach out to her but she was already gone.

* * *

Jack flew to the Corona. He wasn't quite sure how long he had ignored this corner of Burgess. Her shop was ransacked. Stuffed animals were ripped to shreds. The lanterns were torn and thrown off to the side. Her crystals were shattered all over the floor. He looked for her painting in the wreckage but could not find it.

"Finally come back for her?"

Jack jumped at the voice. "Bunny! What are you doing out here?" He tried his best to sound enthusiastic but the sight before him made that near impossible.

"Paying Sophie a visit. She's older now, can't see me. Figured I'd find you here, mate."

"What are you talking about?"

"Tooth said you'd found your little girlfriend. Even directed me to this barbie. When I saw it was like this, I figured you'd be here poking your nose."

Jack froze. He had mentioned he had seen Rapunzel nearly a month ago, and he wasn't even sure back then. Why had she been so sure that she would've mentioned it to Bunny? "That's…weird. I don't really remember telling her about this."

"What are you going on about? Tooth told me weeks ago. You found your girl but she doesn't remember who you are and all that."

"She…she told you all that?"

Bunny seemed to sense the confusion in Jack's voice. Being a rabbit and all that, it didn't really seem that surprising. "Is there something going on between the two of you?"

"I…I don't know. She's been acting strange lately. When I asked her to come with me to find Rapunzel's lost teeth, she wouldn't help me."

Bunnymund sighed. "Listen. Mate, I'm not a ring-in for her, but the two of you need to talk. She's been bothering me about your problems and I'm cheesed."

Jack ignored all the Australian slang and caught most of his message"Yeah…yeah I will. Thanks Bunny. We'll talk later, alright?" Jack's confusion was slowly growing. The questions were mounting and he needed answers.

* * *

Jack flew to Toothiana's palace but the mini fairies were holding him back. "Why can't I talk to her?"

They were squeaking something in response but they were too angry to be coherent. He could easily have pushed through but he didn't want to hurt them. "C'mon. I care about her, and there's something really important I have to talk to her about."

The refused to move, and finally, Jack just lost his patience and soared below the girls and toward Toothiana. He stopped, inches away from her face. "We have to talk. Bunny told me everything last night."

She stopped flying and turned to look at him. "What?"

"He told me everything. You've been lying to me. Why didn't you talk to me sooner? Why have you been lying to me for all that time?"

Before Tooth had a chance to respond, Jack threw out another question, "Why didn't you tell me you liked me?"

Toothiana turned her head around and blushed. "I didn't know how…For as long as I've known you, you've been hung up on Rapunzel. How was I supposed to tell you I liked you? I thought you were just going to reject me and then we wouldn't even be friends. We work together Jack. If we're awkward around each other it makes that hard. We fight evil, that can't be compromised."

"Tooth…How could I ever reject you? What happened between me and Rapunzel happened a long time ago. Lifetimes ago. She doesn't even want me anymore. You're my here and now. You're my present, and if you still like me, then you can be my future too."

The mini fairies had crowded around the little room at the top of the tower and were watching the spectacle eagerly. Tooth had been fantasizing about this exact event for a very long time. "Really…?"

Jack smiled and his perfect white teeth seemed to gleam in her eyes. "Really."

Toothiana threw her arms around him and embraced him in a hug. "I'm so happy! I can't believe it. I've waited a really long time for this Jack…All this time…The only thing I could do was watch. I watched from afar and I thought that you would never feel this way about me…" She sucked in a deep breath and continued to ramble with overzealous monologue, "Everything I've done...It was all so you would be with me and now you finally are. Everything was worth it to hear you say that you liked me."

"After all the things you've done for me, I might even love you." He cupped her face with his hands, and pulled her in to kiss her.

* * *

**A/N: Before everyone starts to rage, I wanted to say that I find it strange people ask me where the sequel is for Believe in Me. And there are people who follow that story even though it's over...Can someone tell me why? I mean, I don't mind. I just find it kind of strange.**


	6. Truth and Lies

**A/N: I finally finished the story kind of, short of. I want to take back what I said. No trilogy! I'm marking this as completed even though it isn't. Onward to Chapter 11!**

* * *

"Tooth?" She shook her head and the fantasy that had held her at bay disappeared. "Huh?"

"I was just saying how I had talked to Bunny. He told me everything. You knew about Rapunzel before I found the shop. Tell me how."

Tooth looked horrified. She had not expected this to happen. Her eyes darted to her fairies, searching for one of them to help her give him an answer. Her eyes landing on Baby Tooth, she realized there wasn't one. There was no way for her to escape. "I've been lying to you for a long time."

Jack's icy blue eyes narrowed with disdain, "Obviously. You knew she was in Burgess. That day I came here asking for money you knew I had found her. Why have you been hiding it?!"

Finally, she had given up. She hung her head, refusing to meet his eyes. "Because I like you."

Jack moved back a little, shock lighting his every feature. Everything finally clicked in his head, and despite his shock, he wasn't entirely surprised now that it had been shoved in his face. "…What?"

She kept her head down, and the bitterness in her voice was apparent to him now. "My feelings just kept growing. We've been together for 50 years. And you still haven't gotten over Rapunzel."

"That's because I'm not going to. I don't want to." Jack's eyes were hard, he felt utterly betrayed. He had trusted her, he had thought of her as one of his best friends.

Tooth finally raised her face to him. Rage had built up inside her. She could not understand Jack's obsession with Rapunzel. Tooth had seen the girl herself and could not find any defining traits that would have caught his eye. "She doesn't even want you anymore! Why are you wasting your time on her when there are other people who care about you and want you to be in their lives?! Jack, I want you to want me. I've waited for you for 50 years!"

He was silent for a moment, stunned by her harsh words and shocked by just how much she knew. "You…How did you know that? How did you know she rejected me?"

Her eyes were flashing red. "You want the truth? I saw Rapunzel's teeth after the war. I saw her memories in them. The most important memories of her life were all about you. I saw you kiss her. I saw you hold her in your arms while she was crying. I saw how you left her."

His hands wrapped around her feathers before he had a chance to control them, "Where. Are. They?"

Tooth's laugh was cold and harsh. "You honestly think I'll give them to you? You won't find them here. You won't find them at all. Why do you think she's so bitter? She can't remember the times you made her happy. She's human. The only way she can remember what's important is if someone is activating the teeth. Without them, she'll never love you again."

Jack let go of her. The person in front of him was not someone he knew. Did love do this to people? She was spiteful and angry. Tooth had not been like this when he first met her. She had been kind, sweet, and remarkably loyal. How had he not seen all the change that she had gone through? "You know what happened at the shop don't you…You know where she is…"

"She got away from Mother Nature but no. I don't know where she is. She's an elusive princess. She's been running from people ever since you left her. You won't be able to find her. Even Mother Nature might not find her."

Every drop of anger faded from Jack's body and was replaced by fear, "Why does she want to find her…? What does she want with Rapunzel!?"

Tooth smiled, almost sympathetically, but there was explicit joy inside that smile. "The chances of you finding her first are near impossible. Mother Nature beat you the first time, and she'll beat you this time too. Give up Jack. Move on."

"I could say the same thing to you. Give up on me. There's no point. It's been 300 years and not a day goes by when I don't think about her. There isn't a single dream where she isn't with me. There isn't a single nightmare when she's there. My greatest fear was that I wouldn't be able to understand why I was brought back to life. Do you know why that is?! Because I used to know why. When I was with her, I felt like the Man in the Moon put me here to protect her. When I'm with her, nothing else matters!" The gravity of his own words dawned on him then. Somewhere along the way, he had forgotten what it felt like to be with her. "Nothing…"

A thick, heavy silence hung between them. Neither was willing to back down. All the mini fairies had formed a circle around them, but not a single one had the intention of slipping in to try and stop their fight. Tooth was breathing heavily, as if she was trying to contain her anger. "Mother Nature will find her first and she won't let Rapunzel go this time. She doesn't love you anymore. You're just wasting your time. Don't say I didn't warn you." With that, the other fairies ushered him out and he let them. There was no point in staying anymore.

Tooth had lied to him. She wouldn't help him even if it meant that Rapunzel would die. Perhaps that was what she wanted.

* * *

Jack landed in front of the Corona. The place was still a burning wreck. He entered the building once more and began looking for clues. He had to find her before anyone else did. He had failed to protect her with Gothel but he wouldn't make the same mistakes again.

He started at the back wall where the painting of them used to sit. Her shelves had been smashed but he noticed that none of her books remained. Either she had taken them or someone else had. He found it strange that police didn't tape the place up.

Glass littered the floor. He saw his lantern among the wreckage. Apparently she hadn't bothered to sweep it up after he had run out on her. He picked up one of the pieces and rubbed it with his fingers. His magic wasn't in it.

Despite his best efforts, he didn't find anything. He left the shop and walked around aimlessly, thinking of all the places she might have chosen to hide in. Jack didn't even know where she lived before she had just packed up to run away. He sat down on a bench and tried to think things through.

"I told you it was pointless." He looked up at the voice and realized it was Tooth. "Are you okay?"

Her appearance created a wave of emotions in him, from anger at her betrayal to nostalgia at just how much this scene reminded him of the night Rapunzel had run after him. In the end he settled with just confusion at her appearance. "What are you doing here?"

"I was worried about you." She sat down next to him. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"…No…Not with you. After everything you've done, I can't do this with you." Jack stood up from the bench and walked away. "Don't come after me. I don't want to see you."

Jack let the wind take him where she wanted and out of pure irony, he ended up at his birthplace: The old lake. The people couldn't break through the ice no matter what they did so they couldn't build houses over it. People just used it as a place to ice skate when they were bored.

Seraphina was watching them from the sidelines. Jack walked to her, his mind racing with questions and things to say. When he reached her side, he turned away from her, looking the people skate instead. "Where is she?"

Seraphina didn't turn to look at him either. For all the world could tell, they looked like siblings talking about a sensitive subject. "I would not be here if I knew."

Jack kept his eyes forward despite his urge to yell at her for answers, "Then why did you take me here?"

"I assumed you'd want to visit your birthplace on occasion. Tsar has left quite the mark on you."

"Are you talking about the Man in the Moon?"

"Yes. I know him by a different name. He is actually very much like the Sandman. I always believed they were related in some way."

Jack was silent for a minute. He wasn't sure how Sandy and the Man in the Moon were connected to her. He almost felt like he missed a chapter while reading a book.

Mother Nature was the one who broke the silence though, "You met the young princess here. Did you think that was mere coincidence? Before you met her she had only left the tower once. At merely three years of age she had decided to leave her tower. Did it never occur to you to wonder what had drawn her away from her sanctuary? She was a toddler who didn't know what she was doing then. Can you imagine who she saw? Always the curious child."

"You brought me here to talk about that? Why would it matter? That happened a long time ago, she probably doesn't even remember it."

"Are you implying that something forgotten isn't important? You had forgotten your past once. During those years that they were missing, were they insignificant?"

It took Jack a minute to process what she was saying. "So that memory is still affecting her somehow?"

"Yes. The Lost Princess is an elusive girl. We have the same objective here. Perhaps you'd like to work together?" Her tone was light, emotionless. Jack knew better.

"Why do you want to find her?"

Mother Nature withdrew Rapunzel's teeth from somewhere in her wide sleeves. "The Lost Princess has something I need. She can return my father to his original state before the fearlings devoured him. If you help me, her memories are yours to control. You can make her recall why she loved you."

Jack reached out for them but stopped. He was hit with the strongest sense of deja vu. This entire scene felt very familiar. When he first met Pitch, he had offered Jack a deal to show him what was truly important. What was his price? For all it was worth, Jack couldn't remember.

He stared at the box in front of him. What was the price now? He reached into his pocket and it grazed her candle. For the second time in his life he resolved that Rapunzel was more than worth a deal with the devil. His fingers closed around her memories and everything went dark.


	7. Memories

**A/N: It's been a while but finals are over. To celebrate, I'm updating this story even though it didn't come out on top.**

_Rapunzel was lying like a starfish in the clearing in front of the waterfall. Jack was lying on the ground beside her, his staff next to him. It was a few days before her birthday. Gothel was asleep and despite Rapunzel's fear of Gothel finding her out of the tower, Jack had convinced her to leave for the night. _

_"I've always wondered what it felt like to fall asleep to the sound of running water."_

_Jack kept his eyes closed but his face showed his confusion, "Why would you want to do that?"_

_"Because it sounds nice."_

_"It makes you want to pee. You might end up wetting the bed." _

_Rapunzel giggled. "I don't do that! Why would water make anyone want to do that?"_

_He opened one eye and looked at her with a smile on his face, "Because that's what peeing sounds like."_

_Rapunzel rolled over onto her stomach to look at him. Her face hovered an inch above his, "I think that you have a health problem. Should I try to heal you?" _

_Jack burst into very loud laughter, "You can't be serious." She didn't answer him and he quieted down a little to smile at her. "Here, how about you flip that amazing hair of yours around that tree and start singing. I'll push you like a swing."_

_Jack had not told Rapunzel the secret of her magic hair and her expression was doubtful. She did as he instructed however and began to sing her song. Her hair began to glow and Jack flew behind her, pushing her forward like a child. _

_"Wee!" Rapunzel's laughter was loud and echoed throughout the clearing. Jack wrapped his arms around her to stop her from swinging forward. "Shh…You're going to wake up your mother."_

_She shivered having him whisper into her ear. The movement caused him to realize just what he was doing. He was holding her around the waist. Rapunzel shifted her hair and it fell in a long wave behind her. The moonlight reflected off the waterfall and her long hair. "Hey Rapunzel... The waterfall sounds a bit like a slow song. Do you want to try dancing?" _

"I didn't want this!" Shouting voices woke Jack up from his dream, memory. The pieces of the dream were still hanging over him but he was shaking it off now. It was pleasant but there were more important things that he had to worry about.

He turned to look around him. His staff was gone and his hands were bound by cuffs that looked to be made of boulders. The room was a circle and looked like a living room from before he was reborn. A lot of the things in it were made of stone. A pair of voices were speaking beyond a dark green curtain.

"It's too late to turn your back on me Toothiana. You gave me her teeth. You told her to hide in Burgess because Jack would never look for her there. It's too late to regret what you've caused."

"But Jack is innocent! Let him go! If the children don't believe in—"

"He chose to follow Tsar. What happens to him is no longer my responsibility. He is no son of mine."

"He doesn't know! You can't blame him for that!"

Apparently he had been knocked unconscious and Toothiana was here. The things he was hearing easily stopped him from being groggy. Jack didn't sleep very often anymore because he didn't have to. Immortals could easily go decades without sleeping a wink.

"She will come for him. Despite the things she says, I can see it in her eyes. She still loves him. You kept her from remembering the things that were important but somehow, she still felt it." Seraphina sounded happy. It was the first time Seraphina sounded anything else but annoyed. "Regardless, she will know sooner or later that Jack's been taken."

"How?! What if she never comes?! If he doesn't do his duties he'll lose his immortality. He'll become mortal again!" Toothiana sounded frantic.

"He took that oath at his own cost. But no matter. As long as one child believes, he will be a Guardian. He won't be so easily forgotten."

Seraphina ignored the rest of Toothiana's angry rebuttals and moved aside the green curtain. Her eyes locked on his. The mute understanding that he had heard everything they said stood between them. "You might want to stop speaking. Your boy has awakened."

Tooth flew around to him, horror written on her face. "How much did you hear…?"

"All that I needed." Jack wanted to kick her away but he was held down by too many stone chains.

Tooth pleaded with him, her eyes shimmering. "I never meant for any of this to happen. I just…I just wanted you to stop liking Rapunzel so much."

Jack sighed, exasperated. After everything that had happened, and everything that was said, she still didn't understand. "You don't choose who you fall in love with. I don't love her for any specific reason. If there was one, I would've stopped by now. It's just impossible for me not love her and that's the only reason I do."

Tooth tried to understand the things he said, her eyes searching for answers that she wouldn't see. She would never be able to comprehend that concept. Seraphina cleared her throat behind them, "I think we have more important things to discuss than the stability of your emotional attraction."

Jack scooted a little so he could look past Tooth at Seraphina. "What do you mean?"

"I'm sure you heard your dear admirer. The longer you spend here, the more children forget your existence. Your powers are at my command. If I choose to keep you here, the children will forget, and then you will be mortal again."

"She said I would die. Why would I go back to being mortal? You don't make any sense." Jack asked, his curiosity blazing.

Mother Nature laughed, her voice echoing throughout the room. Toothiana looked away, her face guiltier than ever. "No, you didn't. Tsar wasn't the one who turned you. If he had, you would never have had to spend those 300 years in isolation."

Jack remained stunned for several minutes, his mind reeling from this new information. "But I saw it…the memory. I froze to death." He turned to Tooth, who refused to meet his eyes, but she answered his accusing gaze anyway, "I didn't know until after you saw that memory. Seraphina had stolen one of your teeth. That one held the memory of you after you had fallen into the pond. You didn't die."

"All will be explained in due time. The Lost Princess should be on her way here. You can probably speed up the wait by activating some of her memories. Making her remember the days you spent together would spur anyone on." Seraphina's words were true, but Jack didn't want her here. As much as he wanted proof that she still loved him, this place was dangerous.

"How will she know to come here?" Tooth said, her anger at the regal woman returning.

"She will." Seraphina held out the teeth once more. "Everything was set in place long ago."

* * *

Rapunzel didn't have a choice. She ran as fast as her legs could carry her, following the frozen lilies on the ground. They were everywhere. Everyone else saw them too. They all led into the forest.

Jack was in trouble and she knew it. It was a memory that she had almost forgotten. 3 years before she had seen him rise from the ice, these flowers had called to her, and they were doing the same now. The trail stopped in front of a cave.

She hadn't brought any supplies, but she was lucky. Mushrooms glowed along the walls. Despite it being a cave, there only seemed to be one path for her to go. She walked deeper and farther into the cave until she hit a dead end.

Her hands felt around, looking for a path to go. Her hand grazed against a sharp rock and blood smudged against the wall. The wall turned and rolled away before her very eyes as the wound on her hand healed. The room before her was large and grand, almost like a castle made out of gold and silver. In front of her stood Seraphina and the Tooth Fairy, Jack was nowhere to be seen.

Rapunzel felt betrayed. She had left her sanctuary for him, and he wasn't here. "Where is he?!"

"He abandoned you." Tooth screamed. Seraphina didn't respond and Rapunzel locked her eyes on the woman, "Where. Is. He?" she repeated.

"Upstairs. Chained to the floor. He's not injured, don't worry." Mother Nature answered.

Rapunzel let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. "Why did you drag him into this?"

"You wouldn't have come out otherwise." Seraphina almost seemed to shrug but someone of her standing hadn't been taught to do something like that. "But now you're here, which means you're prepared to give yourself up."

Rapunzel nodded. She had been running for a long time. To give herself up now almost seemed like a relief, and to save Jack was more than something she was willing to do.

Seraphina's eyes softened and there was true sympathy there. "Do you wish to speak to him? Say your good-byes?"

Rapunzel thought about it for a minute. There were a million things she wanted to say to him, but at the same time, she didn't want to face him. "No. Don't tell him I was here. Lie to him. Do whatever you want but just don't tell him. He can't know that I've been here. I trust you'll do a good job of that Fairy?" Toothiana nodded.

Mother Nature evaluated the people before her. It seemed that everything was ready. She raised her hands and a stone cage enclosed around a despondent Rapunzel. "I'll prepare everything. All you must do is wait." The two legends turned and left the room, presumably to free Jack and get Pitch.

Rapunzel sat down in her cage, thinking of her tower and her castle. She thought of her parents as well, and Flynn. He had betrayed her, and he was the reason her parents were dead. What would've happened had she not been tricked into marrying him?

Several years after she had jumped out of her tower, Rapunzel had grown very despondent. Out of desperation, the king and queen decided that the only thing that would lift her spirits would be suitors. She was of that age and her parents couldn't understand why she was so unhappy.

Rapunzel chose Flynn because she did not believe that he was inherently evil or greedy. In the end, she was wrong. For her crown, he had set fire to her castle. In front of the grave of her parents she promised herself that she wouldn't trust anyone else. Any hope she had of seeing Jack again disappeared after that night. Rapunzel pulled out an ice sculpture from her apron, **his** ice sculpture. "Jack…"

* * *

Jack Frost was still sitting in the room behind the green curtain. Time seemed to go by remarkably slowly but that was only because he had no idea how much time passed. Tooth flew in after what seemed like days. "Toothiana says if Rapunzel doesn't come in a few hours, she'll just let you go."

Jack scoffed, "That witch? Why would she do that?!"

"She was the one who changed you," Toothiana said quietly.

"I kinda figured after she's called herself my mother so many times." Jack's voice was filled with snark.

They sat in silence. Toothiana didn't know what to say, and she was almost sure that her presence was unwelcome. Both of them were snapped out of their stupor however, when the binds on Jack's wrists were released. "Let's get out of here."

Jack consented to follow her lead. He couldn't fly. This was more than likely Seraphina's doing and it seemed that Tooth knew exactly where she was going. As Toothiana reached for a door handle, the earth shook. Thunder could be heard all around them and darkness closed in from all sides.

"Pitch!" Jack turned on his heels and immediately bolted after the shadows. Toothiana flew in front of him and spread out her arms to block his path. "Stop! You can't go after him!"

"Why not?!"

"What's the point?! You can't fly. We can't fight both him and Mother Nature." Tooth screamed. "Rapunzel isn't even here. We're just wasting a chance to escape. Please! Just listen to me and let's go."

He glared at her, "After EVERYTHING that's happened, do you really think I'll believe you?! I'm not going to trust you." Her arms fell to her side, giving him a clear path down. Jack went around her and ran down the hall, "If you go after her, we're not friends anymore."

He paused to turn around at her words. "We stopped being friends the moment you stopped helping Rapunzel remember what's important. Memories are what you protect but you stopped helping her on purpose. If you couldn't remember what was important when your parents died, how would you have felt?"

Tooth didn't respond or turn to look at him. Jack turned and ran after the shadows gathering in the main hall. Tooth sank to her knees and bid herself not to cry.


	8. Sacrifice

**A/N: Continue the celebration of my finals being over! Updates, updates everywhere!**

Rapunzel had been moved to be held on the wall. Her arms, legs, and waist were tightly bound by vines. Seraphina looked up at her with pity in her eyes. Pitch stood at her side, his eyes hungry. "So you're saying if I consume her, she'll give me a corporal form? I won't have to make people fear me anymore?"

"Yes," Seraphina replied. Her voice even, revealing no emotion whatsoever. "And you agree that with this gift, we'll rule together?"

"Of course. We'll be a family." Seraphina internally winced at his words. He didn't remember who she was. Her own father had forgotten her existence. Perhaps the fearlings had eaten him away and this was a pointless struggle. She was sacrificing her only friend for a pointless struggle.

Rapunzel was hunched forward, neither afraid nor sad. She had known Seraphina for a long time and if she wasn't anything else, she was a trustworthy person. Jack would be free and safe. Pitch flew up to her so he could run a finger across her face, a smile creeping onto his expression. "Fearless, even in the face of eternal darkness. Such a strange child."

"I'm not fearless. I just don't have anything to fear right now." Rapunzel answered him. Those words were the truth for the most part. She wasn't afraid of him, or the idea of dying. Seraphina's eyes narrowed for a bit before saying, "Stop playing with your food. It's time."

Pitch moved back across the room and aimed an arrow at the princess, the darkness and fear swimming around her. Taking aim at her heart, he released the arrow.

It froze in midair before dropping to the ground and shattering on the spot. Everyone turned to look at the doorway. "Jack Frost!" Pitch screamed. "What are you doing here?!"

"Let her go…" Jack pointed his staff at Pitch.

He only sneered at Jack, "No." The fearlings around the room attacked, weaving around his shots. "No one to protect you this time, Frost. You're mine." Pitch didn't slow down. The fear was circling him, threatening to close in on him.

Seraphina shot water in all directions, nailing both Jack and Pitch in the chest. "Enough! This ceremony must continue. Get out of here Jack, or I will destroy you."

"No." He picked himself off the ground and charged at her. A tornado started in the room, tearing away at his sweater and throwing him back against the wall. Fireballs appeared in the air, all aimed at Jack. He didn't have the time to dodge them so he just shot ice at the flames. They melted into puddles on the floor but Seraphina wasn't done. The pieces of stone furniture in the room were all hurled at him.

Jack froze them but it was pointless. They collided into him, pinning him down by the chest. It was over. He had lost. "You can't beat me." Her voice was amused and annoyed at the same time. "Let's finish this."

"Wait! Please!" Rapunzel was screaming at them from above. "Don't hurt him." Pitch looked at her with incredulity. "Why do you care?"

Rapunzel just looked to Seraphina, her eyes pleading. "I won't run, I won't try to escape. I promise. Just let me heal him."

Seraphina moved the boulder that had landed above him, but cuffed his wrist to the floor as insurance. She held Pitch back as the vines holding Rapunzel up vanished. She dropped to the ground and rushed to his side, holding his head in her hands, "Everything is going to be okay, I promise."

He coughed to the side, and just looked at her sadly. "I make a mess of everything."

She smiled, the first time he had seen her truly smile at him since the night he left. It was a sad smile though, one that she had given him many times when they used to be together. "Hey…it's gonna be alright." A single tear streamed down her face and landed in his palm. It seeped into his skin and gold sprinkled where it made contact. He instantly felt stronger. "Please, don't do this. I love you."

"I'm sorry." She stood up, and the vines reached for her once more, holding her back. Jack reached for her with his free hand but she was already out of reach. "No!" Pitch readied his arrow again, aiming for her heart. Rapunzel closed her eyes, ready for the impact. Pitch released the arrow and it was true. It hit Rapunzel in the chest and fearlings poured away from her.

The others followed and consumed her from Jack's sight. He couldn't even scream for her. Golden light spilled from Rapunzel, filling every corner of the room. The fearlings were blasted away. Pitch's terrified shriek could be heard from all over the room.

"Papa?" Seraphina's voice echoed but that was the strangest bit of all. The light faded away, and Jack saw the strangest sight before him. Pitch looked like a normal human being. He had color in his face, and Seraphina was cradling his head in her arms. He was obviously unconscious, but he was breathing.

Rapunzel was lying motionless in the center of the room. With the bindings around Jack gone, he inched to her side. He pressed him head against her chest, straining to hear a heartbeat. He could hear the soft pounding of her heart and relief flooded him. "Rapunzel?" He shook her a little, trying to wake her up. She didn't stir and remained cold and stiff. "Rapunzel?" His voice was frantic now.

A hand squeezed his shoulder in a comforting way. "She's gone Jack." Tooth knelt down beside him. "The chest containing her teeth melted. That only happens when someone won't need them anymore, like when they're dead."

Jack shook his head, refusing to believe it. "Her heart is still beating. I'm not going to believe you anymore. Where were you when I was fighting?!"

Tooth didn't respond and Seraphina spoke up from behind them. "Yes, and no. Rapunzel's magic is gone. It was the price she paid for bringing my father back to me. Without her magic, her life equates to being over. It kept her alive for a long time but she will start aging again in her comatose state. Waking her up now would almost be the same as bring someone back from the dead."

"I'm Jack Frost! You're Mother Nature; she's the Tooth Fairy! We're magical beings! Can't one of you do something?!"

"I can, but at a great price. You'll lose your immortality to revive her, making you both mortal." Seraphina looked to Rapunzel's sleeping face, "Are you willing to pay that price, Jack?"

"Yes. Anything. Just do it."

"Don't do it!" Tooth screamed.

Jack turned to look at her suspiciously, "Why not? I don't mind dying someday. I've lived a long time."

"If you do, you'll be breaking your vows as a Guardian. You promised to serve for eternity. That's impossible if you don't have the life span for it. You won't be a Guardian anymore. You'll go back to the way you were before all this happened." Tooth cried, desperate for him to understand.

Jack finally realized what she was getting at, "You mean she won't be able to see me anymore?"

"That's not what I mean at all! What if people come after you? How will you be able to defend yourself?! You'll lose everything!" Tooth raged.

Seraphina rolled her eyes, something extremely out of character for her. "You will still have your powers. I gave that, not the Tsar. The fairy is simply afraid of harm that will not come."

Tooth gritted her teeth but Jack had made his choice. "Do whatever you have to, just wake her up. I left her once; I'm not doing it again."

Seraphina rested her father against the wall and moved over to Jack and Rapunzel. Seraphina studied Rapunzel's face closely, "When young Rapunzel had first left her tower at the age of three, she found you dying in the lake. You smiled in death because you knew your sister had been saved. I pitied you and surrounded you with my frozen lilies. Because of you, her magic wore off on everyone else she used it on. She kept you from aging for hundreds of years. Rapunzel sacrificed a bit of her magic to save you that day, and now you will do the same for her."

She placed one hand over his lips and whispered, "You're a good man, Jack Frost." Golden light flew into her fingertips before she moved her fingers onto Rapunzel's lips instead. "Son of the moon and daughter of the sun. The two of you are as different as fire and ice but you're both lost souls. Perhaps that is all it takes to fall in love."

She moved back to her father and the two of them disappeared in a swirl of clouds. Jack never saw either of them again. He turned to Tooth but he didn't know what to say to her. Everything was set in stone now.

"It's okay," she said abruptly. "I should've seen this coming. I'll tell North what happened. He'll be curious. Drop by and say hi sometime…We're your friends too." Tooth flew from the room and they were left alone.

He looked down at the sleeping princess. She seemed peaceful and happy. There was a small smile on her lips and Jack wondered what she was dreaming about. He placed a soft kiss on her forehead and her eyes opened just the tiniest bit as she moved away from his lap, "Where am I? What happened?"

Jack chuckled a little at her cliché questions. "You've just been through a lot. But you're safe now, I'll protect you."

She cocked her side to the side just a bit and a confused expression entered her face, "Who are you?"

**A/N: I genuinely wonder how many people saw Seraphina's story about Rapunzel and Jack's real first meeting coming. Gold star if you did. **


	9. Home

**A/N: I've gotten a lot of questions so I'm going to answer them now. Jack was immortal up until he Seraphina returned that to Rapunzel.  
He couldn't fly before because Seraphina wouldn't let him.  
Memories are destroyed when someone dies. Jack's wasn't because he wasn't dead. Rapunzel's memories will be discussed at a later date.  
The sculpture that she broke was fake. It was just to get rid of him. If you haven't noticed by now, she doesn't particularly want to face him.  
I'm done with writing the story so I'll switch the rating to completed now. However, this isn't the last chapter. Onward to Chapter 12!  
That's all enjoy the new chapter.**

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Several hours after what had happened at Seraphina's cavern, Jack had carried a tired and half-asleep Rapunzel back to her apartment. She couldn't walk, nor did she have any idea where she was or how she got there in the first place. Her last memories were someone breaking into her shop and having fought them off before running to a church for safety.

Her apartment was a small place with just three rooms full of paintings, guitars, ice sculptures, and the basic necessities. It reminded him of her tower. There weren't any lamps or a TV. She lighted the entire house with chandeliers like the ones she had left in her shop. "You can sit on the couch. Would you like something to eat?"

For the first time in a long time, he felt hungry. He felt human. As he watched Rapunzel move around her house, he couldn't help but feel like he could live here. "What've you got?"

She carried a bowl of noodles from the kitchen and handed him a fork. "Here, as a thank you for saving me from the cavern." She put the noodles and a coke on a simple dining table with just two chairs. "Is there anything else you'd like for me to get you?"

He had thought that Rapunzel wouldn't be able to see him but she could. She couldn't remember him though. To her, he was just another bystander. He saved her and that made him important but she didn't love him. He felt strange seeing her talk to him like that. She had been scared of him, angry at him, and just plain comfortable with him but she had never been formal.

It took him a minute to realize he hadn't answered her, "Oh, um, nothing." He began to eat his noodles silently and wondered how he should feel. She walked back into the kitchen and took out a plate of leftover pie for herself. "So um…Who are you?"

His fork paused in midair. The question cut him more than he thought anything could. The question was genuine. She didn't remember him at all, not a drop. "Uh…Jack Fr-Overland. My name is Jack Overland." He wasn't a Guardian or a magic spirit anymore. People saw him normally when he had carried her home.

"Jack…" She said quietly. "That's a nice name. It makes me happy for some reason."

Jack chuckled a little and wondered how many times she had said it before. "Uhh thanks, Rapunzel."

"Rapunzel? She asked, suspicion filled her voice. She eyed the door for a very brief moment before returning to look at his face. "How do you know my name?"

"I…uh…Everyone knows it." He said to her as confidently as he could. "I knew you while you were a princess. We…were friends." Some of that was true. They were friends for a long time and he had been with her while she was a princess.

"Oh…You're immortal too? Were you one of the guards? Jack…That would explain why that name sounds so familiar!" She put another piece of pie into her mouth and her suspicion disappeared. "Normally, I would've knocked you out and run away by now, but you remind me of someone I used to know."

"Really?" Jack kept his voice light but he was trying to contain the emotion welling up within him. He wanted to smile, but he also wanted to cry. "Who?"

"I don't remember."

He raised one eyebrow from genuine surprise, "How can you not remember?"

Rapunzel put her hands together and looked at them for a moment. The sun had pretty much set, and she hadn't lit any candles so the room was dark. The only light came from outside her windows but Jack saw her perfectly. "He was a really close friend of mine. We spent a lot of time together when we were younger. The last I remember, he ran away after talking to some girl. It was around my shop. I'm not sure what happened to him after that."

Jack watched her with curiosity. He had no idea what she was talking about or if she was even talking about him. He had thought she was but had there been another man in her life in the time he'd be gone? Had there been someone else before this entire incident with Sepherina? "Did you ever see him again?"

She shook her head and took her plate back into the kitchen. The thoughts in his mind had been so consuming that he had forgotten to eat his noodles. He looked down at his half-eaten bowl with a bit of regret. He was hungry and wished that he had eaten it when it was still warm.

Rapunzel's hand shook in front of his face with a plate of cookies before she took away the noodles. "You didn't eat very much, but I bet you're still hungry. I'm going to take a shower. Do you have anywhere to go tonight?" Jack shook his head, and she offered him the couch.

Rapunzel walked to her bedroom without a backwards glance. The plate of cookies was warm. The chocolate chip ones were gooey, the lemon ones were sour, and the cinnamon ones were sweet. They were all delicious. Food was great. How did he forget that food could be delicious?

He moved to her couch and collapsed in a blue heap. For some reason, exhaustion had completely overwhelmed him as he fell asleep to the sight of the full moon.

_"Rapunzel? What are you doing still awake?"_

_Her legs were pulled up to her chest and she was staring intently down at a piece of wood that he had brought her several weeks ago. "I'm trying to figure out what I want to paint here." _

_"You asked me to get a piece of wood so you could paint some more?" Jack asked incredulously. "Don't you have enough space to paint on?" He gestured to the walls behind him and above him which were completely covered with her drawings. _

_"This one's special. It's small enough that I can turn it into a good luck charm and keep it with me at all times."_

_"I see…What is it going to look like when you're done?"_

_"I don't know, but whatever it is, I'll make sure it's my most beautiful painting ever."_

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Rapunzel couldn't sleep. She had lived alone for a long time. She hadn't trusted anyone for hundreds of years. She had offered that man her couch but she wasn't sure why. After Flynn betrayed her, she stopped trusting everyone but she felt an innate desire to trust him.

Rapunzel knew when someone was lying to her, and Jack had definitely lied to her, but she wasn't worried about him hurting her. She grabbed a blanket from her bed and carried it outside before putting it on top of him. Kneeling down, she stared intently into his face. He was pale, with skin that looked so smooth he could be made of stone. "Who are you...?"

The next morning, Rapunzel got ready quickly and moved about the kitchen preparing breakfast. She felt someone watching her and immediately tensed. She calmed however when she noticed Jack's wide eyes. "Oh, so you're awake." He sat up and his blanket slid to the floor.

He picked it up and motioned it towards her, "Heh, thanks for the blanket."

"It was nothing. You can use the bathroom in my room to wash-up. I'll go make breakfast." She noticed his plate on her table and dropped it in the sink. For some reason, it made her really happy knowing that he had eaten all her cookies.

She grabbed four eggs and cracked two of them into a bowl. She scrambled them into a perfect mix as she walked into her bedroom. It was nearly identical to her room in the tower except it wasn't round. She had loved her tower. Mother Gothel had been horrible to her, but she hated her time in the castle.

Rapunzel dug through her clothes for something that he could wear. Her clothes were a bit too small for him. She placed the bowl on her vanity table and grabbed her biggest clothes before sneaking into the bathroom. He was taking a shower. Her face became flushed with color but she ignored it. She left her own clothes for him and dropped his dirty ones in with hers from last night.

She grabbed the eggs and went back into the kitchen to make breakfast. When he was done, Jack walked out awkwardly in her sweater. Her clothes squeezed him in all the wrong places. It now seemed like he had curves that even she didn't possess. Rapunzel couldn't help but laugh at how funny he looked. "Good morning, Jack. My clothes look good on you."

Hearing her laugh made all the tension that had built up magically disappear. He felt relaxed, something that was natural around her. "Heh, you're just saying that because I look funny."

"No, you look prettier than I do. I bet the boys who live downstairs will all want to talk to you." Rapunzel giggled. "We should go get you some new clothes. Here, eat breakfast."

"But I don't have any money." Somehow, Jack had lost all the money that Tooth had given him when he was chasing Seraphina around. Even if he hadn't, he wouldn't use it now.

"You can work in my shop to earn money. I'll hold you responsible for all the food you've been eating and all those clothes you'll need."

"But your shop was destroyed, don't you remember?"

She laughed off his statement and dragged him out the door. "Then you'll help me fill out my insurance claims." Jack couldn't argue with that, even though he had no idea how to fill out anything, and they went shopping through several small stores.

The attendants in each shop yelled at him for not wearing shoes, but Rapunzel assured them all that they were there to buy clothes. Her waddles of cash didn't hurt either.

After buying several hoodies, khakis, and a couple t-shirts, they headed for home. "You didn't buy any shoes!" Rapunzel seemed outraged that he had ripped her off somehow.

"I don't need shoes!" Jack retorted. She had been annoying him about that for the entirety of the trip.

"You don't need pants either but you bought 4 pairs of those." Rapunzel snapped.

"You just want me to walk around naked." He nudged her in the arm and raised his eyebrows several times at her suggestively.

Rapunzel slapped his elbow away and threw a snowball at him, "Pervert." She grabbed his things and threw them into her apartment before ushering him out again. "It's a nice day out. I don't want to stay home."

Jack hadn't planned on going out but he didn't want to stay inside her house alone. They didn't have anywhere in particular to go, so they walked around aimlessly until they reached the Fishy Aquarium. There was a park across the street from it with an ice rink in the middle. He held her elbow to stop her, "Do you know how to skate?"

She shook her head and then her face lit up like a light bulb. "You're going to teach me! I need skating shoes!" Her energy was unrivaled. She pulled him into the rental building and bought a pair of skates. "Let's go. let's go, let's go!"

However, the moment her feet hit the ice, she fell straight onto her butt. Jack didn't bother to help her up. He had his own problems.

"For the love of…I don't need shoes!" Jack was arguing with a security guard. "What do you mean I can't skate without shoes?! It's not like I'm going to lose my toes."

"Sir…These are just the rules." The security guard wasn't too old. He lacked any distinguishable qualities. Jack hopped over him, and grabbed Rapunzel's hand. He was fast and pulled her along, with her screaming out of fear and joy behind him.

Despite his best efforts, the guard could not keep up. Jack waved his staff in several arcs behind him, throwing the poor man off when he got close. On the other hand, Rapunzel was doing much better. Jack kept her from falling, and pulled her along when she slowed down too much.

The other skaters stared at them. They were going much faster than anyone else, and Jack still refused to put any shoes on. The rest of his body could feel cold, except his for his feet. "Jack?" Rapunzel's voice sounded nervous from his right.

"Yeah?"

"How do I STOP?!" There was a boy in front of her, someone who reminded him vaguely of Jamie. Jack swore under his breath. How could he forget to teach her how to stop? He let go of her hand, and jumped at her from the front, tackling her away from the boy.

The security guard finally caught up with them and ushered them out. Rapunzel was silent, her face stunned. Jack looked to her worriedly. "Ahh... Sorry, that was my fault."

"That…was AMAZING! Oh my god, you can use magic! What else can you do?! Should we do something else? Let's go into the aquarium! The dolphins are having a show!" Rapunzel's enthusiasm had not diminished at all. The smile on her face was as wide as he had ever seen. A small inkling of guilt began to grow in Jack. The only reason she was willing to be with him now was because she didn't remember all the pain he had caused her. Perhaps it wasn't so bad that she couldn't remember him.

**A/N: This one is one of the simpler chapters. Very slice of life. Although tell me what you think: Do you want her to remember everything or do you like her the way she is now? **


	10. Easter Sunday

**A/N: Sorry this chapter took so long. I wasn't at home this past week. I'll update again in a few days to make up for it. Also, I have an uploading schedule now. You can find it on my profile along with general information. **

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Jack no longer had Guardian powers or responsibilities. Hours turned to days and days easily turned to weeks. Nothing that could be considered too romantic happened to them, but their days were easy. They went to different places around the city and Jack taught her how to use a sled. In return, he taught him how to swim, something that made him feel extremely uncomfortable and vow he would never try again.

Soon, Easter Sunday came around the corner in the form of Rapunzel with a basket of eggs that the children had given her. Jack's long time rivalry with Bunnymund could not be ignored. As the children prepared their baskets for the big day, Jack had to make his own preparations. Seraphina wasn't going to have it however, as she called in several rainstorms across the globe.

Jack visited the Warren, where Bunny's eggs were already moving to the surface. "Hey there."

Bunny spared him a glance before rushing back to his eggs, "Frost, what're you doin down here?"

"Checking up on the enemy. Your eggs won't get very far today." Jack said smugly.

Bunny's eyes narrowed on Jack. "Ya bludger! What'eva done?! Another snowstorm?! You need a new trick ya showpony."

Jack laughed, "Not my fault this time. Mother Nature's been thundering around the globe."

Bunny shrugged, "It's just alittle rain. My little googies'll be fine." The two of them flew to the surface, arguing about the condition of the eggs. The Warren was right below Australia but they went around the world, and covered just about every park available.

Where the weather was good, Jack shot his ice over the crowds as Bunny chased him down. Finally, they arrived in Burguess where the rain was especially heavy.

To Bunny's great pride, the children were running through the rain, shrieking as they found eggs in every corner. Their mothers watched from beneath wide-brimmed umbrellas. "Righty there, mate. My eggs are unstoppable."

Jack was annoyed, but that annoyance disappeared when he saw Rapunzel amongst the children running around. Her hand was wrapped around that of a small girl as they collected the eggs from inside the hollow of a tree.

Bunnymund watched Jack's face, and an arrogant smile appeared. "That your girl?" Jack nodded, a grin at the words.

"She's gotta pretty face, and she has your fire." Bunny mused. The irony was clear but the words left Jack confused nonetheless. "My fire?"

"An energy to just keep moving. Those ankle-biters know all about it." Bunny pointed at the girl she was with. "Whose that? Didn't know you were a father." Bunny's smirk was worth a thousand words.

"Shut up. You know she's not my kid. I'll ask her about it later." Jack answered. They were silent for a moment, just watching the scene before them. It was Bunnymund who broke that silence, "Have you talked to Tooth?"

Jack visibly flinched at the name. "No." His answer was definite and unwavering, hard as steel. It was impossible for Bunny to miss that connotation. Jack had no desire to see her.

"She came to visit a few days ago. Told me everything. She feels bad you know, for what happened between the lot of you." Bunnymund's words were hesitant, but as a mutual friend it was hard on the other three Guardians.

"Did she tell Sandy and North too?" came Jack's snarky response.

"Nah…Me and Tooth are closer than the others think. North wouldn't get it. Sandy's…Sandy. He's a good listener, but he's not dropping any advice." Bunny sighed. "She cares bout ya. We all do."

"Then why did she keep Rapunzel a secret for so long?" The question was a bitter one. Something he had wanted to ask her but it was a conversation he wasn't sure he was ready for.

Bunny sighed. "We were all someone before we became a Guardian. Tooth had the quibbles for someone when she was a kid. Some boy in her village. He died in the raid against her parents. She just wanted to stop that from happening to you. Guardians live forever. Your girl is sure to die before you."

Tooth had never told him about that and he could easily understand why. Despite his previous anger and his desire to remain angry at her forever, forgiveness welled up inside him. He didn't particularly want to forgive her but it was hard to stay angry after hearing that.

Jack sighed, "I'll talk to Tooth later. Not right now, it'd be too weird." Bunny nodded, satisfied with his work. With two thumps of his foot, his tunnels opened up and he was gone. Even though North tried very hard to convince him otherwise, Bunnymund still wasn't one for air travel.

Jack watched Rapunzel by himself for a short while longer. He wasn't sure how long these happy days would last. She didn't remember who he was, but she did remember him. They would sometimes talk, and she would reminiscence about a memory that the two of them had shared. However, every time she mentioned him, her face would be sad or angry. She hated to think about him or bring him up.

An old woman came to pick up the child: Sophie. She was still pretty small but everything else about her had changed in the fifty years that had passed. Sophie had grown older and visited Australia on her breaks. During one trip in her late teens she had met a man whom she ended up falling in love with and consequently marrying a few years later. Jack understood now why Bunny had also been curious enough to watch them.

Rapunzel walked over to him after they had left, a little bounce in her step. "Didn't you say you would be in the middle of a battlefield today? What are you doing here?"

Jack laughed at his choice of words earlier that day, "Uhh…The war happened here. It involved the rain and some eggs."

Rapunzel smiled. She didn't really understand what he was talking about, but it didn't seem to particularly matter. "Did you win?"

"Nah. I lost so badly that it would've made most people cry. Maybe next year. That rabbit won't stand a chance."

"Rabbit?"

"It's a guy thing. You wouldn't understand." He instantly regretted the words. It sounded rude, even to him, but Rapunzel seemed to agree with him. She opened an umbrella and they walked home in the rain.

Jack hated the rain, but Rapunzel found it comforting. She was holding the large black umbrella for his sake. Had he not been there, she would've walked home without it, getting soaked from head to toe. When they reached her apartment building, she folded her umbrella and handed it to him.

Ushering him inside, she turned and sat down on the wet steps. Despite her affiliation with the sun, she somehow felt that rainy days were meant for her. The ripples that they made in the puddles could easily calm her down even when nothing else could.

She heard sloshing steps behind her as Jack sat down. "Why are you out here?" He asked her, annoyance clear in his voice. He had his hoodie pulled up and it was wrapped around his face.

"I could ask you the same thing. You hate the rain." Her voice was cheery, but it wasn't real. Generally speaking, she was a very content person. She didn't have any dreams or ambitions so she didn't have many disappointments either. Her life was simple, and her smile was almost nearly constant but it was a habit. Nothing truly made her want to smile.

Before everything happened, the only difference was that her smile was a reflex. Everything made her want to smile. Everything was new and different. It was like an adventure waiting to be had. Three hundred years changed people in miraculous ways.

"You looked like you could use a shoulder to cry on, and even if the rain melts me down to my bones, I'm going to take that spot." Jack grinned.

Rapunzel contemplated the offer. She didn't like to cry, and after he had left she didn't cry at all. It was almost like she had forgotten how. "There's nothing to cry about. It's a nice day since I love the rain." Some drops slid down her face and she was reminded of the way that she used to cry for him. She had long since stopped crying. There was no one she wanted to heal and nothing she wanted to cry for. She reached up to wipe away the water, knowing it was pointless since more would inevitably fall on her.

His grin turned into a knowing smile. "No you don't. You say that, but I think you hate them just like I do."

"Hmph. What makes you say that?" She held out her hand as the water bounced off her palm like a mirror.

"You always look sad when you sit out here. I don't even know why you bother doing something that'll just make you depressed. Life is about having fun Rapunzel."

"Fun…" She had fun often, but it wasn't enough to keep her happy. She wanted something more, something that she hadn't really felt in a long time. "You remind me of him, that friend I had a long time ago."

That guilty feeling returned in Jack's chest but he pushed it as far from his mind as he could. There was no point in feeling guilty about it at the moment. "And thinking about him makes you sad?"

Rapunzel leaned her head on Jack's shoulder and sighed. The action shocked him, but he didn't fidget. He looked at her quickly before turning his eyes onto his clasped hands in front of him. "Yeah…When I was younger, I didn't have many friends. Just my pet lizard, Pascal. Spending time with him was fun."

"Then why does thinking about him make you sad?"

"He promised me he'd never leave me but he did." She was silent for a minute, "We…were more than just friends." The statement stunned him again. She had never mentioned the things that happened the night he had left. He had assumed that he was the only one who remembered those kisses in her room, and the words that were said. However, Rapunzel wasn't done, "I loved him."

Hope swelled up in Jack. Bunny was right, Easter was a day of new beginnings. "I'm sure he loved you too."

Rapunzel moved her head from his shoulder and looked into his eyes. His were blue, like ice. It was ironic considering how much warmth he held in them. She hesitantly leaned into him, those bright blue eyes the only thing she could see.

He put a hand around her waist and another hand against the back of her head, pulling her in abruptly. Their lips met with a heat that he had missed for what felt like an eternity. It was familiar and new all at the same time.

His arms squeezed her tight, the water from the rain ran down their faces and soaked through their clothes, making them stick to their skin. He could feel every curve on her body, and that just made him want her more. For once in his life, he didn't hate the feel of that horrible weather.

She pulled back first, resting her forehead on his. Her breaths were deep. She kept her eyes closed but she didn't try anything again. Jack opened his eyes to look at the expression on her face. She looked pain, as if everything that happened at that very moment took all the tolerance she had. Before he knew how to react, she pushed him away and ran.

* * *

**A/N: Please review and share your thoughts, all that good stuff. I love reading them, and I also have a Big Four Hogwarts story coming up. The premiere date will be on the 17th. Hope to see you there!**


	11. Hello Again

**A/N: Last chapter coming up. All the final questions will be answered and everything will be brought to light. See you in a couple days.**

* * *

Several weeks later Jack flew to Toothiana's palace. He had no idea where Rapunzel had gone, but he wasn't about to waste time just sitting on her couch. He didn't particularly want to see Toothiana but he wanted some answers more than anything else.

"Baby Tooth!" He flew around to look for her, but all the fairies avoided him.

Finally, she flew up to him, much bigger than he remembered. He wrapped his arms around her to keep her from flying away. "C'mon I need some help, will you help me?" She shook her head and folded her arms to show her defiance. "I seriously need to know how teeth works. Help me out."

"Then you could've just asked instead of bothering my fairies." The words came from none other than Toothiana herself. Her head was down but she held out her hand for Baby Tooth. Jack released her and turned his attention onto the main fairy. "You're here about Rapunzel's memories?"

"How'd you know?" He answered

"There's no other reason you'd be here. You're obsessed with her. Have you been to see North? What about Sandy?" Toothiana's words hit closer to home than he would've liked. He had noticed that he had not thought about seeing any of them. He didn't even particularly want to. More than anything else, he was afraid of what they would say.

Toothiana seemed to notice his silence and sighed, "I know you love her, I understand that now. It's just…hard being alone. I think North and Sandy feels the same way. We don't see each other very often but I do hope you come to see us when you're not looking for a favor. "

Jack bit the inside of his cheek. She was right. Ever since Rapunzel had returned, the only reason he had been to the Tooth's palace was when he needed a favor. "I'm…sorry. But a lot of things have changed. When things settle down, it'll be just like old times. We'll meet up every ten years."

Tooth's eyes were sad, "No it won't. You're mortal now. You'll grow older, and you'll die. Ten years goes by a lot faster when your clock is moving."

Jack had forgotten about that. She was right. He was human again. Someday, he'd leave them all. They were Guardians. In a way, they weren't much different from gods.

Tooth seemed to notice his frustration and smiled slightly. It made her happy that at least he was thinking about what he was doing. "My fairies activate the teeth. They make people remember what's important about the memories. When my fairies didn't activate them, it's not that she forgot about you. She simply forgot why you were important. When you forget why something is important, that memory becomes hollow."

Jack's face showed his confusion and Tooth thought for a moment, before trying again, "Take the memory of your death for example. If you had that memory but couldn't remember that she was your sister or that you saved her, then it would be different. What if all you could remember was that you fell into the ice as someone watched you die? See what I mean? The memory is pointless if you can't remember what's important."

"So with Rapunzel…" Jack said this slowly because he wasn't sure how this corresponded to her. The example that Tooth gave made sense but Rapunzel remembered everything. Those memories should have been happy memories.

"She forgot who you were. You were the one that made those nights special."

"But I'm there in her memories. She thinks of me as her best friend!" Jack's frustration finally leaked out and he started screaming. He wanted to punch something.

"You still don't understand? You lied to her and left her. Those memories aren't whats important. She can't remember that you came back for her. The fact that you're with her can't register because that's not there. You left her and broke your promise, so the rest of those memories might as well be pointless."

"…How do you know all that?"

Toothiana smiled again, but her smile was sad. "I looked through them," She added, "after you yelled that I wouldn't understand. Somehow, even without remembering what's important, she loves you. It's very strange."

Jack didn't say anything for a moment, but he thanked her and promised her that he'd go back to visit more often. Months passed and Rapunzel didn't return. Jack spent his time visiting Sandy and North to explain everything. They were disappointed but understandable.

When Rapunzel did return months later, she was surprised to find him still bumbling around her apartment. "Nowhere to go. You're the only friend I have." Jack joked. Rapunzel didn't seem to catch on however. They were silent for a moment, with Rapunzel leaning against her apartment door.

Neither of them wanted to bring up the kiss that had passed between them. The tension in the room built steadily until Jack decided to ask a simple question, "Where'd you go?"

"To go see a friend."

"Seraphina?"

Her surprise lit her face. "How'd you know?"

"You don't seem like you have many friends either." Jack had meant it as a joke, but the words seemed to hit close to home as she just shrugged. "I guess. I used to really like people but that changed over time. I just wanted to ask Seraphina some questions."

"Well, maybe I can help you." Jack said cheerfully, trying to break the tension. Rapunzel went into her kitchen to grab a knife from the rack before slicing open her palm. Blood poured quickly from the wound.

Jack looked around wildly for a towel to stop the bleeding, "What the hell are you doing?!" he immediately grabbed the blade from her hand and threw it into the sink.

"It's not working." Rapunzel's surprised expression was mixed with joy, something Jack didn't understand at all. "It's gone."

"What's gone?" Jack whispered. He wasn't sure why but he didn't have the energy to ask the question normally.

"My…Powers…I'm not healing…"

"Your magic? That's because you used it all up."

"That can happen? Well, you'd think it should've happened 300 years ago." Rapunzel sighed and just smiled. "I've waited a long time for this."

He cocked his head to the side, and his entire posture just asked why.

"You wouldn't understand."

"Try me." His grin was cocky. As if there was anything the great Jack Frost couldn't understand.

Rapunzel's smile seemed to wane a little, but she kept it up anyway, "It's a secret. Besides, there are other things we need to do. You smell bad, and you ate all my food."

Despite wanting to know what was on her mind, he let it go. She was right. There was a lot to be done. "Yeah, we should do something about that."

* * *

Rapunzel was too tired to cook for them so they decided to eat out, a rather difficult task due to it being Independence Day. They didn't talk much, but Jack had been determined to steal food off her plate.

After dinner, they joined the many other Burguessians watching the fireworks at the beach. They sat down on the docks and waited for the fireworks to appear. Jack's awareness increased, noticing the romantic mood around him. His hand was mere inches away from hers. The ocean was in front of them with the sun behind them. "So…Fireworks, huh?"

"They remind me of something from when I was younger." Rapunzel answered.

"The floating lanterns?" Jack didn't have his staff with him, or the entire scene would've reminded him of the night they spent together on her birthday.

"No. Not really." He wanted to say something else, but that was his only guess. It seemed like the perfect answer.

"Pascal." She said suddenly.

"What?!" His face was a mixture of bewilderment and repulsion. His whole body tilted away from her for a bit before resuming its original position. The only thing he could imagine was Pascal exploding and it was not a pretty sight.

"Pascal was a pet lizard I had a long time ago. My best friend gave him to me as a replacement for the original ice one that he broke. When the fireworks explode, they look like my ice sculpture when he broke it."

"Oh…" Jack remembered that night well. He had been angry at her for not telling him about her magic hair. He laughed at the memory. He almost forgot how she looked like as a blonde. "Were you mad at him?"

"No. I was just surprised. I don't even remember what he was mad about. I think I wanted to —" She paused as the first of the fireworks began to shoot into the sky. Her face displayed no emotion whatsoever. She'd been like this all night. She'd be normal for one second while but then she'd be completely distant and quiet the next.

Midway through the show, Rapunzel got up to leave, "You coming?"

Jack got up to follow her down the docks towards home. She was quiet and didn't say very much at all. Her eyes seemed to be staring off into space. On the way, they stopped walking to watch a band play a song:

_They say be afraid_

_You're not like the others, futuristic lover_

_Different DNA_

_They don't understand you_

_You're from a whole other world_

_A different dimension_

_You open my eyes_

_And I'm ready to go, lead me into the light_

Jack thought back to that day in town when they had watched the people dance to the music. He couldn't touch her back then so she was stuck watching other people dance with him. He took her hand and spun her away from him.

"What are you doing?!" She screamed.

"Dancing." He answered her, wiggling himself suggestively.

"That's not dancing. That's just asking for someone to touch you in strange places." Rapunzel dropped a couple dollars for the band and twirled him away from her. They danced in the center of the other on-lookers, completely oblivious to the rhythm of the music.

* * *

When Jack and Rapunzel had returned home that night, he suggested that they paint something. He had resolved to tell her everything, but he wasn't so sure as the night wore on.

She had learned from Seraphina that when she had saved Pitch: she had lost her magic, her immortality, and her teeth. Her memories still existed but they existed in one specific object. What that object was, was a complete mystery. Whatever it was, it held every memory that was important and was something she held very dear.

He suggested making a list but she told him that the only thing she considered truly important was the ice sculpture in her pocket, but that the sculpture held no memories at all. Magic in objects couldn't be mixed like that. "Rapunzel?"

"Yeah?"

"What's your favorite memory right now?"

Her expression changed and she seemed to be fighting with herself to say something she didn't want to. "A long time ago…I went to see the floating lights on my birthday. My best friend took me to see them. He showed me the world in a way I never knew about. I met a lot of special people because of him, and he showed me how to make everything in my shop."

Jack stopped painting for a moment, and the spot that he was working on grew extremely large and blotted out of her lines. "Jack." Rapunzel slapped his hand away from the painting before sighing and moving it to be tossed out. She grabbed a new board and drew her lines again. Jack's shock slowly disappeared and he continued the conversation, "Oh…Uh…Sorry. What was his name? Your best friend."

"I don't remember." Her voice became emotionless like before. She had talked to him the same way when she first saw him in her shop and pretended she didn't know him. "We're not friends anymore."

"Yeah…You never told me what happened." Jack said.

"He lied to me. Everyone in my life lies to me. Mother did, and so did my real parents, and Flynn." Rapunzel's bitterness was clear, and even if he didn't want to admit it, maybe it was for the best that she didn't remember him. At least now, they could be friends and talk normally. He changed the subject to one thought would be lighter. "What happened to Pascal?"

Rapunzel moved her brush off the painting and let it drip onto her apron. Her eyes gazed out the window and seemed to glaze over. Jack had only seen her cry a few times, and this seemed like it should have been one of them, but not a single drop slid down her face. "He died. Everyone dies before I do. That magic…I hated it."

"But it's kept you alive all this time." He stopped painting too so he could watch her.

"What's the point in living if everyone you care about is dead? My best friend didn't get any older, but he left me anyway." She put her paintbrush down and snapped out of her trance. "Let's stop for today. I'm tired. Goodnight Jack."

Jack couldn't sleep that night. He had never really comprehended just how much he had meant to her. He now understood why she was so angry at him. He had felt the same way with the children he played with. They would grow older, and forget him. Time went on without him, and it was the same for Rapunzel.

He got up from his bed/couch and looked around her belongings. He knew she still cared for him, but that wasn't enough to forgive him. She gave up a lot to save him when Seraphina almost killed him. She saved him at that lake too, a long time ago.

Jack could hear someone kneeling down beside him. "What are you looking for?" He hadn't heard her walk out of her room and her sudden words scared him into falling on the floor. He laughed a little at himself for being scared of her, but her voice gave him chills.

"I'm not sure." He answered, any hint of the previous laughter now gone.

"Were you planning on stealing my stuff and running away?" Rapunzel's voice was serious, cold as ice, "You can do that, if you want. I saw it coming. It's no big deal. I'm used to it. He did it when he broke his promise. Flynn did it when he stole my crown. Mother would have done it too if my hair never turned brown."

Before Jack knew what he was doing, he had wrapped his arms around her, holding her as tight as he could without actually hurting her. She was cold, even to him. "Why are you hugging me?" Rapunzel's voice didn't register shock, or anything close to emotion. It was blank, a simple question because any affection now seemed to be a complete and total stranger to her.

"I'm sorry….I'm so sorry." Rapunzel didn't answer him, and the only thing he could do was hold back the urge to cry.


	12. Enough

**A/N: Many people feel that they seem really out of character. I want to point out a few things. Flynn, not Eugene betrayed her. She never got close enough to know him too well. She was too stuck up on Jack. There actually is a whole story behind this betrayal, but I don't plan on writing it out. I was going to for Jackunzel/Merricup week but I missed it. **

Rapunzel pushed him away and a razorblade was held at his throat before he even knew it. "You don't have to pretend anymore. I'm sick of pretending too."

He was too stunned to speak for a moment. When he could think again, he wrapped his hand against the blade. Even though he didn't think she would actually hurt him. The sight of her threatening him with a weapon bothered him more than the act itself. "So what you said earlier, about my sculpture not holding the memories—"

"That was true. The memories were…" He hadn't noticed it before but she was wearing his hoodie. It had been missing from him for several months. Apparently, she had been wearing it to sleep. She reached down the hoodie now and pulled off her necklace. A smooth wooden ornament dangled off the chain.

"After you left, I drew a lot of pictures of you. None of them were very good. Do you remember giving this to me?"

"You mean that piece of wood?"

"Yes. You probably didn't think it was very important but I used it when I grew tired of painting every single picture about you." It was the first carving he had ever seen her make. It was him, sitting on a crescent moon. She threw the necklace onto his couch "Then why did you pretend you didn't remember?"

She walked up to him to the point that she could've kissed him without any time for him to react. "I was giving you the chance to tell me yourself. Were you planning on lying to me forever?" She repositioned her hand on the razor so she could move closer to him. A couple centuries on the run taught her a few things about self-defense.

The distance scared him slightly. He let go of the razor before grabbing his staff from the side of his bed. She was probably planning to kick him out that night. "Yes. I was hoping to find whatever it was that held your memories and make sure you never found them." Jack didn't really know what to say, but confirming her ideas seemed liked his only option at this point. In reality, he had no idea what he really wanted.

He walked to the door and placed his hand on the knob, "I know that you're mad at me. I get it. I'll leave now and you'll never see me again."

Rapunzel grabbed his shirt in her fist. If she wasn't pulling, then the scene would've been incredibly romantic. The door was open but he didn't leave, "You came back for me." Jack didn't answer her, and neither of them moved. "It's been 300 years, but you came back for me. You broke one promise but you kept another one."

Jack kept looking forward. He wanted to turn around but he didn't know how to face her. "Which one is more important to you?"

"I don't know. I've never broken a promise so it's not something I would know." Rapunzel's voice was soft and her hair fell in front of her face. "I wish you hadn't broken either of them."

Jack closed the door and turned around to look at her. He threw his staff on the couch with her carving and pulled at the razor in her hands. Her grip on it was weak, and he threw it to the floor. "I owe you. I can't turn back time, and I can't make up for the fact that I left you. The only thing I can do is spend time with you now. Do you want me to be with you?"

Rapunzel was silent. She was terrified. She loved him, more than anything. That also meant that more than anyone else, he had the power to hurt her. She had held the world at bay for over 300 years. If she opened up her heart now, would it hurt more than the first time?

"It doesn't have to be in a romantic way…" Jack's smirk was half-hearted. It was a joke but his heart wasn't really in it. "Friends are fine too."

"I don't want to be friends…you…you…gahh!" Rapunzel through her hands up in frustration before slumping to her floor. Jack had a slight suspicion the men who lived below them would be angry about this in the morning. "I hate you."

He knelt down next to her and cupped his hands around her face so her eyes could meet his, "You don't mean that."

"Yes I do."

"No you don't."

"Yes I-." Jack cut her off with a kiss. Resting his hands on either side of her to block her escape, he leaned forward with aggressive force until his body was slanted above hers. She didn't even think about pushing him away. She pulled him closer even, causing him to lose his balance and the two of them to fell on the floor with a soft thump.

"No, you don't." Jack's whisper sent blood rushing to her cheeks. He lifted her up in his arms and carried her to her bed, much like he did the night he left her. The only difference was that this time, he had no intention of leaving.

He placed her in the center before hopping above her, his face inches from hers. "I'm going to ask again, do you want me to leave?"

"I don't know…"Her voice cracked, and for a moment she seemed as if she wanted to cry. They were both silent for a minute, waiting, but the tears didn't come. "How can I trust you?"

He smiled then, "Would I lie to you?"

"Yes. More than once. And you're always joking. How do I know you're not joking now?"

His smile disappeared, and he put on the straightest face he could muster with this new development. "Because I love you, and there is nothing in this world that I want more than to live out my days like this."

Rapunzel's face scrutinized him quickly, searching for a lie in his words. "How long can you stay with me? A year? Two years? Ten? There will come a day when you will want to leave me, and I won't be able to stop you."

"There isn't anything in this world that's more important to me. Not my powers, or being a Guardian, or even my life. At the end of the day, you're just afraid I won't keep my promise. You don't believe that I'll stay with you. I want you to listen to me right now. If you tell me to stay now, I will stay with you even if you kick me out later. I'll never leave you alone again." Jack's words were earnest and his honesty was unmistakable. For Rapunzel, this was enough.

She let go of all the willpower that she had used to hold herself back. He was wearing a new sweater. Rapunzel pulled it over his head, knocking away his arms and making him fall on top of her. He wasn't wearing a shirt underneath the sweater.

Jack smirked seeing them in this position. "If you wanted to take my clothes off, you could've just asked." He pressed his lips to hers, distracting her for the time being as his hands roamed behind her. Rapunzel was a whole new adventure, and every inch of her body was something he wanted to discover. He gave himself a minute to breath as he pulled his old sweater off of her.

His hands grazed her thighs as he removed the last of her clothes. She shivered and broke away from him. He watched her with surprise but he understood what she was thinking about. "We don't have to do this if you're afraid. It's probably been a while since you've did this with your… 'husband'." Jack seemed to internally flinch as he said the word.

Rapunzel's face flushed with embarrassment and fear. She hid herself underneath the sheets and rolled herself away. She had gotten married but she hadn't done a thing with Flynn. The marriage was arranged and he didn't seem to want anything to do with her after the ceremonies had been performed. Rapunzel told Jack everything, and his face shone with relief.

Rapunzel's silk sheets and his khakis were the only things that separated the next step from happening. Jack wrapped his arms around her and just let his body weight cover her. "You're naked." He laughed even though there was nothing particularly funny about his words.

She punched him in the arm, "Shut up." He kissed her on the neck as a way of saying sorry. His lips lingered on her skin, causing her to moan a little despite herself. The very sound drove him to insanity and he gripped the sheets a little tighter. "If you don't plan on going through with it, you shouldn't make strange sounds that give me weird ideas."

Jack rolled off of her with his eyes closed. The growing discomfort inside his only remaining clothes irked him to no end and he groaned in displeasure. Rapunzel peeked at him from underneath her sheets. He had a well-toned body. She had never seen him without a shirt on, but the obvious bulge in his khakis was what held her eye.

She knew what it meant despite never experiencing it for herself. Without meaning to, her hand reached out to touch it. The moment her fingers touched it his hand shot out like an arrow. "What are you doing?"

"Eeep" She tried pulling her hand away but his grip was strong enough to bruise if she pulled too hard.

It had been an extremely long time since he had seen this side of her: Shy and docile. The only time he could recall her being this shy was when they first met. He leaned in to kiss her again, softly this time. He wasn't asking for much, just confirmation that the moment was real. Midnight had long passed but Rapunzel had several candles burning around her room. It illuminated the scene before them.

Without any warning whatsoever he pulled away, and Rapunzel's green eyes watched him with curiosity. "I'm…going to sleep outside before I do something you'll regret." He swung himself off her bed to hide his growing discomfort. "I'm not leaving, don't worry."

Before he could reach her door, her arms were already around his waist. He could feel her bare chest against his back, something that excited him and tortured him at the very same time. "Stay here tonight. I want to see you when I wake up." Her words were soft, and reminiscent of something she had said to him long ago.

He nodded, and she let go before crawling underneath her covers again. She was sitting on her bed, waiting for him. He hopped onto the other side, but didn't join her underneath the covers. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her once on the forehead. "Sweet dreams Rapunzel."

She fell asleep long before he did, with her head on his arm and cradled against his chest. They didn't have sex, but he could live with that. She might change her mind a couple of months down the road. At that very moment, in the cover of darkness, this was enough. He used one finger to poke her cheek. She mumbled something that sounded like snowman in response and he smiled to himself. He loved her, and this was enough.

* * *

**A/N: This is it. No more sequels or epilogues. The end. Special thanks to Lucinda Primrose for her great reviews and Evra Marx and kanary98 for the constant support. I really appreciate it. **

**Rawr! I was planning to upload this two weeks ago but things came up. *Cough* Number Days *Cough* It's finally done now though! I was actually kind of sick of writing this since I've started the Frozen Sun community. Check that out by the way, it's full of great stories. Final note, I've started a new project called the The Big Four and the Sorcerer's Stone so go check that out if you like my Tangled/Rise of the Guardians stuff.**

**See you next time and Tally Ho Mofos!**


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